Because we here at Geeks of Doom are just absolutely mad about Doctor Who – and also because it’s one slow news day – I present to you a short film written and directed by none other than the newest actor to take up the mantle of the avuncular Time Lord from Gallifrey, Peter Capaldi.

Capaldi made Franz Kafka’s It’s a Wonderful Life in 1995 with the cooperation of the BBC. The 22-minute feature was the actor’s first time calling the shots on his own film and later shared that year’s Academy Award for Best Live-Action Short Film with Peggy Rajski’s Trevor. You can watch it here below.

Wonderful Life stars Richard E. Grant (Withnail & I, Bram Stoker’s Dracula) as the legendary Austrian author who suffers a case of writer’s block after penning the first line to his classic 1915 story Die Verwandlung, better known to English-speaking readers as The Metamorphosis. Not helping matters any is the unending parade of unwanted visitors and Kafka’s own surreal visions of how he thinks the story should begin. Capaldi’s wife Elaine Collins plays a part as does Ken Stott, best known as the dwarf Balin in the Hobbit trilogy.

Capaldi made his feature directorial debut in 2001 with Strictly Sinatra and later went on to direct nine episodes of the comedy series Getting On and the made-for-TV film The Cricklewood Greats. He is currently at work shooting his second feature film as director Born to Be King, which will star Ewan McGregor and Kate Hudson. New episodes of Doctor Who, with Capaldi taking over the title role previously held by Matt Smith, are expected to begin filming next month.

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[Source: Dangerous Minds]