Skip to main content

YouTube partners with UN and showcases videos from female filmmaking program

Just in time for International Women’s Day, YouTube is broadcasting videos from its global production program for female filmmakers on its own dedicated channel.

The “YouTube Spaces Women’s Program” saw a range of the platform’s established female creators mentor other women filmmakers in a number of cities across the globe.

Among the well-known YouTube personalities appointed as Creative Directors for the program were Anna Akana and Alexys Fleming from the U.S., Julia Veiga Faria in Brazil, Em Ford in the U.K., Nilam Farooq in Germany, and Kuma Miki in Japan.

The mentors oversaw shoots conducted in cities including Los Angeles, London, Tokyo, New York, Sao Paulo, and Berlin, producing over 50 videos that “spotlight women’s perspectives.”

The women behind the camera included Michelle Phan, GloZell, Ali Brustofski, Flavia Calina, Olhos de Nuvens, Ochikeron, Mirellativegal and more. Their clips include documentaries, scripted content, and music videos that encompass a range of topics, including women in the workforce, health, science, and engineering.

Oscar winning Hollywood star Geena Davis was also on board to offer advice and mentorship in regards to gender representation on film. “We need more strong female voices represented in media so that this gender balance becomes normal to the young girls who are turning on their screens,” said Davis, who also runs the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media. “By taking this step to empower and represent more female voices on YouTube, I hope that more young girls and women around the world can be inspired to be part of the creative community.”

Additionally, the Google-owned video service also announced that it is appointing its leading YouTube creators to act as Change Ambassadors for the UN’s sustainable development action campaign. Among the Internet stars chosen for the role are beauty and style vloggers Ingrid Nilsen and Louise Pentland, with more creators to take on the position in the future.

“YouTube has always been a platform where women of all ages and backgrounds can find their voice and tell their stories,” YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki told The Hollywood Reporter. “Through our global YouTube Spaces program and new partnership with the UN, we’ll strengthen female voices on YouTube and around the world.”

Editors' Recommendations

Saqib Shah
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Saqib Shah is a Twitter addict and film fan with an obsessive interest in pop culture trends. In his spare time he can be…
YouTube TV just got even better on iPhones and iPads
Multiview on YouTube TV on an iPad.

If you use the most popular live-streaming service on an iPhone or iPad, things just got even better. YouTube TV — which boasts more than 8 million subscribers — just pushed multiview live on Apple's mobile devices, as previously promised.

It works basically the same way it does on a television. YouTube TV picks the programs available in multiview, and you get them all at once, with audio coming from one of the shows. Tap another, and the audio switches. And just as before, you can get multiview for sports, news, business, or weather. (Though we definitely don't recommend watching four news channels at once in an election year.) It's just in time for March Madness, which is great, though we hope you'll be able to pick your own games instead of just sticking with the multiple viewing options YouTube TV gives. This will be great come fall, though, when the new season of NFL Sunday Ticket takes hold.

Read more
YouTube tells creators to start labeling ‘realistic’ AI content
YouTube on Roku.

YouTube is taking steps to try to help viewers better understand if what they’re watching has been created, whether completely or in part, by generative AI.

“Generative AI is transforming the ways creators express themselves -- from storyboarding ideas to experimenting with tools that enhance the creative process,” YouTube said in a message shared on Monday. “But viewers increasingly want more transparency about whether the content they’re seeing is altered or synthetic.”

Read more
What is YouTube Premium? Price, content, and more
YouTube Music

YouTube is such a common part of internet infrastructure that it's now used for everything from entertainment to recording work events to livestreaming conferences to publishing the newest music videos. But as the platform has grown, it has become more and more reliant on ads. If you're sick of ads before, during, and after YouTube videos, then you can consider paying for a subscription for YouTube Premium so you won't have to see any more ads while browsing or watching videos.

The YouTube family of products can be a bit confusing, however. As well as YouTube Premium, there are other paid services like YouTube Music, YouTube TV, the now-defunct YouTube Go, plus some free movies on YouTube you don't want to miss. But the price for YouTube Premium has changed since it launched, so it's worth taking some time to consider how much you'll be paying and whether it's worth it for you -- or even if you could save some money using options like the YouTube Premium family plan or the free trial.

Read more