Octavia Spencer to launch film contest

Los Angeles: ‘The Help’ star Octavia Spencer is spearheading a short film contest for budding directors. The 42-year-old is inviting amateurs to create 20-minute films for her new competition. Spencer will give away a new camera and a $1,000 cash prize to the best of the bunch, and she`ll also showcase the winning entry online, reports femalefirst.co.uk. In a post on her Facebook.com page, Spencer writes: "I was struck this past week when a young filmmaker asked me how I coped when my dreams felt far from my grasp. 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 overnight success. IANS