The debut feature-length documentary from writer-director Shawn Wildermuth, Hello World: Confronting Bias in Software (2020), was released on Video on Demand on Tuesday, December 15th, 2020 from Gravitas Ventures. It is the follow-up to his acclaimed thirty-one minute short, Drawn to the Hub (2017).
The synopsis of the 78-minute production, as per the press release for the film, reads as follows: “Code is everywhere. Every phone call you make, every website you visit, and even every car you drive has software powering it. Software development has been clocked in a cloud of magic that keeps most people out of the career. The film delves into the history of software development that started as a woman-led industry but has evolved into a majority white male and Asian dominated industry. It tackles the tough topic of why women as well as black and latinx people don’t pursue software careers. The film aims to shine a light on how amazing a career in software can be. The reality is that now is a great time to diversity the ranks of software development, not just for the typical social reasons, but also because it makes better software and can be a generational change for many.”
The intriguing and well-done trailer for the movie runs one-minute and thirty-nine seconds. It can be found here.