Steve Jobs has had eight films made about him, but Grace Hopper hasn’t yet had one. That’s what led filmmakers Melissa Pierce and Marian Mangoubi to make “Born with Curiosity.”
Mangoubi and Pierce started a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo to raise US$45,000, one-third of the film’s budget. With 10 days left, the project is less than US$3,000 away from reaching its goal to pay for research, initial interviews and some production costs. Any surplus funds donated before the campaign closes will be used to chip away at the documentary’s budget.
(Related: Where are all the women in software?)
“Born with Curiosity” follows U.S. Navy admiral and computer programmer “Amazing” Grace Hopper’s personal and professional life. Hopper was one of the first programmers of the Harvard Mark I computer, and she created the first programming language compiler, leading to the development of COBOL. The documentary follows her life throughout the 20th century from her birth in 1906 to her death in 1992.
“Most of history has been written by and about men,” the Indiegogo page states. “Our aim is to bring to life the untold and lost stories of women. We believe shining a light on and humanizing role models like Grace makes them relatable in a way that inspires others to greatness. By taking a real look at the complexities of Grace’s rise to fame, we hope to dispel the myth of the anomalous hero and create the opportunity for women and girls to see themselves in her place.”
