Octavia Spencer is an American actress celebrated for her role in The Help, in which she played Minny, an outspoken maid. She won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress, and a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role.
As film fans and makers are gearing up for this weekend's Golden Globes, which air this weekend, a few might have caught Spencer's announcement sent through her Facebook page.
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"I was struck this past week when a young filmmaker asked me how I coped when my dreams felt far from my grasp," she writes. "My answer to her and all of you is I always feel mine are always within reach. What many people don't know is that it takes an average of 15 years to become an over night success. In that time you must create and continue to hone your skills. If you are a musician, write poetry and turn it into an amazing song. If you are a filmmaker write a short and shoot it. I've done it twice now. I know it's not easy."
Spencer writes that two of her friends shot award-winning shorts on CANON EOS 60Ds -- one was shortlisted to receive an Oscar nomination this year. So in honor of the Award Season and in knowing that money doesn't always flow while being a creative, she's putting the call out for short films.
If you've created a short film, Spencer asks that you post a link to her Facebook page before February 10. The film can be of any genre, shot anywhere in the world -- it just can't be longer than 20 minutes. Films can be posted only once to her page, though filmmakers can post as many different films as they'd like.
One winner will receive a CANON EOS 60D, a Platinum 6000 Digital Tripod, and $1000. Spencer writes that the winner will be announced on Oscar weekend.
