I had no idea Octavia Spencer's life as an entertainer also extended to work behind the camera – specifically directing; or maybe I just haven't been paying attention.

Regardless of what the answer to that riddle is, you should know that a short film Ms Spencer directed (and whihc was narrated by Viola Davis by the way), will screen at the SoHo International Film Festival here in NYC, as I learned over the weekend. 

Titled The Unforgiving Minute, lifted from a Rudyard Kipling quote, the 10-minute film's synopsis reads:

… tells the story of a young boy growing up in an environment peppered with judgment and lack of understanding. He lives with his Mom who is a single parent, his sister and grandparents. The family is a loving one, but the young boy longs for the father he has never known. He is faced with school bullies that taunt and harass him (and other schoolmates) daily. Through these challenges, however, the boy is not defeated. Instead he perseveres taking a life-path of honor and hard work that is applauded by his classmates and that guides the boy ultimately into a man of prominence, inspiration and great achievement.

This upcoming screening of the film at the SIFF which runs from April 13 to 20, will be its New York premiere, meaning it's screened elsewhere, although I couldn't find any info to confirm that. If anyone has seen it, feel free to share your thoughts on Ms Spencer's directorial abilities.

I should note that, according to IMDB, this wasn't even her first directorial effort; prior to The Unforgiving Minute, Spencer directed a documentary short in 2008 titled The Captain; The Unforgiving Minute (made in 2010 according to IMDB), is a work of narrative fiction.

Luckily I was able to find a trailer for the short film online (not the full short unfortunately), but, unfortunately, it's not embeddable; so to watch it, you'll have to head over to IMDB, because that's the only site that has it. Click HERE to go THERE and watch the trailer.