Nitcharee Pen-eakchanasak lost both her legs in an MRT accident in Singapore eight years ago. But it is projects like "Less Is More: Short Film Production By Young Persons With Disabilities" that play an integral part in helping her prove her worth and showcase her hidden talents and passion for the art of cinema.
The 22-years-old is a member of the winning team of the one-month project from which they will get an all-paid study trip for four days and three nights to attend the Busan International Film Festival next month. Her team comprises Phongtorn Pengdilok, Pawin Piemthai, Somsuk Hemran and Chaywit Sucharitkul.
Majoring in mass communication at Thammasat University, Nitcharee is excited to be part of the endeavour by Bandit Thongdee, film director and president of the Thai Film Director's Association, and the Thai Media Fund, that provides opportunities for the disabled in Thai society to learn about professional media production and the development of safe and creative media.
Speaking of how she believes the project will benefit her, Nitcharee said that during the workshop they cover a number of subjects, including script writing and acting, which she is already studying at university.
"We are learning from scratch how to make a short film, an area I am passionate about, and would like to pursue later in life. We are divided into four groups of five people, so we also have to learn to get along with each other because of each of us comes with not just a different handicap but also personality and family background. I am just soaking myself in the experience.
"Our ultimate goal is to come up with a short film that will catch the eye of the judges. We have the support of the gurus and so the members in my group are focused on producing our best work."
Nitcharee said she feels a great sense of honour to be able to learn from the best in the business, and hopes to share the experience with others. While the focus during the workshop is on how to produce a film, it is when this is put to practice that things start heating up.
"There is just so much that goes into the behind-the-scenes action at film sets that makes this experience so valuable for me. This includes film editing techniques and more. Our five-minute short film will be based on issues that build up our society. As we work in groups, I cannot tell you right off the bat just how it will pan out. What I can say is that it will go on to benefit a multitude of people."
Nitcharee reiterated the importance of having projects geared towards people with disabilities by saying that it helps them to address their deep-rooted insecurities. Such challenges stimulate and build character, giving them a sense of self worth.
"Like the able bodied, the challenged in our society have dreams and aspirations, which for many could mean filmmaking. However, many may feel this to be a pipe dream, because they feel it is beyond their reach to, as a handicapped person, have the golden opportunity to learn film production from scratch," she remarked.
"So you can imagine just how thrilled people selected to join this project must be feeling. They are living their dream. And thankful for the opportunity."
Meanwhile Bandit, the man who conceptualised and spearheaded the "Less Is More" short film project, said it took two years to get this endeavour off the ground, because it was difficult to find financiers who shared his vision.
The veteran film director, who once hired a young man with Down syndrome to work with him on a travel documentary, has always had a soft spot for the handicapped.
Bandit said the idea for this project was sown after he was invited to officiate an event by the Organization for People with Disabilities in Thailand, where participants shared among other topics, their experiences with various forms of theatre production.
"What I found was that while being handicapped slowed the pace with which they reached a particular goal, their desire and passion to work on something that obviously made them happy made up for it. Their fighting spirit was commendable. Their attitude won me over," remarked Bandit. He is a firm believer that people with disabilities should be offered the same opportunities as their able-bodied counterparts, even though they might be slower in reaching their goals.
"Their parents also encouraged me to help them become productive participants in society by using their enthusiasm for filmmaking to reach that goal. Since then, I was determined to support their cause. I know that due to their disabilities, I cannot expect all of them to become film directors, but there is stuff they are capable of doing with new technology at our disposal today that gives me much optimism."
Bandit said today's visually impaired are able to retrieve all sorts of information off the internet with the click of a button, and educate themselves at a much higher level than we give them credit for, so it is high time society did not limit them to just selling lottery tickets.
Reiterating his resolve to support their right to pursue a fulfilling existence, he added: "The question here is not about their lack of ability, but rather the opportunity we have to find, or in this case, create for them to pursue their dreams.
"Our desire is to see society have an open mind towards people with disabilities. I believe this will help open opportunities for them to achieve their full potential.
"When they work with me, I don't spoon feed them. My crew and I tell them how things are done, but it's up to them to deliver the goods. They might be slow in reaching the task, but they eventually are able to accomplish it. It is in such moments that I feel all the hard work put into teaching them bears fruit."
Bandit said the project's theme "Less Is More" came from a real life story on Facebook about a young man's interaction with a parcel delivery man who had a hearing impairment.
Confused on how he would be able to communicate with the deaf man, he was pleasantly surprised that the entire delivery went smoothly when an app chat was used between both men to convey details of the transaction.
The pleased customer wrote on his Facebook wall that he was happy to see the parcel delivery company recruit people with disabilities to work for them, saying that everyone is equal and deserves to be given the opportunity to work with dignity.
