Today we have someone we’d like to introduce to you…
For film enthusiasts or those in the Thai film industry, it would be hard not to know Thida Plitpholkarnpim, founder of the Documentary Club and one of the pioneers bringing diversity into the industry and creating a platform for those into niche genre to meet and discuss. She did so without knowing whether it will be a success or not. There was no guarantee, which is exactly why we think that she is a great example for those who want to challenge their limitations and achieve their true potential, or simply live their lives for themselves but are, at the moment, too afraid to try.
Our team met Thida at the “Doc Club and Pub”, an exclusive space for the Documentary Club to exhibit and hold activities that are carefully crafted by Thida herself. Not only that this space is dedicated to diverse arrays of films and vibrant discussions, but there are also drinks available to elevate the whole experience. The Doc Club and Pub was holding the exhibition called “Bai Pid” (Movie Poster), which were widely used to advertise films in cinemas for the past 40 – 50 years. Many of the posters were hand-painted by Thai artists, creating unique artistic interpretation of the films in a different fashion from those created digitally that we are accustomed to nowadays. Many posters for legendary Thai films were exhibited, such as “The Scar” (1977), Tears of the Black Tiger (2000), or The Siam Renaissance (1990). Chances of seeing these rare posters in big shopping mall cinemas these days are very slim, therefore it’s safe to say that the space and the exhibition itself, their niche and unique qualities, are the best introduction for who Thida is.
SUMMARY WHO/ใคร Thida Plitpholkarnpim, a film and documentary lover, founder of the Documentary Club that carefully picks and screens documentaries that are otherwise difficult for Thais to access. She used to work for GMM Grammy as a website editor and established a monthly magazine specialising in films, “Bioscope”, for 12 years before transitioning fully to documentaries.
WHAT/โจทย์คืออะไร
The Matilda Foundation searched for a real-life example of someone who has successfully challenged their own limitations so we can provide a case study of the possibilities that may occur when we leave our old comfort zones and how to deal with the changes we meet along the way.
Read our previous blog posts:
WHY/ทำไม
It is evident in Thida’s journey that Matilda’s 7 Values, “Mindful, Altruistic, Thirsty, Inquisitive, Loving to Others, Determine, and Accountable” are important supporting and driving factors in dealing with changes and progressing forward in our chosen paths. Values that may seem abstract, when told through Thida’s real life story, can be both more relatable and tangible.
From our first few words of exchanges, we learned that Thida did not study film in university, but she studied Industrial Design from the Faculty of Architecture. However, upon graduation she couldn’t find a job opportunity in industrial design and stumbled upon a recruitment for film critics. Thida wanted to earn money to lend support to her family and thought that she can always shift back to design work later on if job opportunities at an advertising company comes along. That never happened. She stayed connected to the film industry until today.
Hearing her story, we cannot help but ask on behalf of those who may feel that their chosen field of studies became, or may become, their limitations in the job market.
“Do you have any regrets about not working in the same field as your university degree?”
Thida: I don’t look at it that way. I still use the graphic skills I acquired from studying Industrial Design in the work that I do today. Additionally, another important aspect I got from my studies is the way of thinking that are both scientific and artistic at the same time. This has allowed me to have different and unique perspective from others, and is useful for any field of work.”
MATILDA Value: Mindful, Thirsty, and Determine
Being mindful about what you want in life, when combined with the thirst to do it and the determination to see it through, are important driving and supporting factors to challenge our limitations and overcome fear.
For those who went through several career transformations like Thida, who worked as part of an editor team for a film website, managing her own magazine “Bioscope”, working with Mono Company, and establishing and managing the Documentary Club, “What were the deciding factors that made you move out of your comfort zones each time and change you path?”
Thida: “When I worked as part of an editor team, the salary was very good. In fact, I had never earned that much money before. I wasn’t even 30 then. Still, I missed working in my own style. I missed creating things on my own. When I had the chance to work on Bioscope, which was a handmade magazine at first, had its own way to communicate with the readers. There were very few other medias that exclusively talk about films, so we were the only few ones available and started gaining recognition with time. We began to have serious followers, some sent letters with sincere feedback, we went to interview film directors, etc. All these aspects made me realised that there’s demand for this. I felt that what I was doing was useful. I gained something back from my work. It was so clear to me. My work at the time may pay well, but it didn’t satisfy me.” As she realised what she wanted, she was not scared to pursue it. She didn’t waste time with what she knew to not be right for her. She continued, “If I didn’t make the decision then, I probably never really get to do it. Many of my friends complain that they want to change their jobs, but at 40 – 50 they are still where they were. Changing your path becomes harder, especially if you have children. Also, I was confident that I could do it. The worst thing that could have happened was to fail, and it’s normal to fail.”
Walking on our chosen paths, however, is not strewn in rose petals. There was a lot of pressure creating your own magazine, such as the high fixed costs that forced her to always look for sponsorships through advertisements. These were not easy to come by for niche magazines like the Bioscope. “…The Thai magazine industry survives on advertisements. Big magazines with many advertisements can keep their heads above water, while smaller ones struggle to survive. The reader market is not large enough to provide sufficient income from sales alone. Costs for making monthly magazines were, therefore, very high. It was not like, you’ll survive as long as you have good contents. You have to dedicate your time to acquire sponsorships.” There was also the need to meet deadlines every month. However, her conclusion on this is that “It’s better to be exhausted doing what you love”. She said, “I have a lot of fun working. Every time I would get so exhausted. So, so exhausted. Then I rest for a few days before starting a new project, and voila! I had fun communicating various stories again. I enjoy reading about things and think about how I should pass them on to the readers/audiences. I still enjoy doing that to this day. For example, if I have to work on a film or a documentary for quite some time and I get jaded and felt like going away to rest. That rest I needed is usually only very brief. When a new movie comes along, the fun cycle begins again. Honestly, I do get exhausted, but it’s not a job I force myself to do. It’s a job I have passion for, so it’s okay.”
MATILDA value: Inquisitive
The process of looking for answers and take action, make the unknowns known.
How did you switch from magazine to documentary?
Thida: I questioned the Thai film industry a lot during my time working on Bioscope. I wondered, “Why are things like this?”, “Why the film industry cannot be like that?”, “Why are there so few genres of films available?”, “Why is it that some genre cannot do well?” On top of that, I personally like documentaries. I used to think that it’s not possible to imagine people buying tickets to watch documentaries in cinemas, but it the end I decided to give it a try…”
What gave you courage to leave your old comfort zones and walk towards a different path? Anything you would like to advise those who often excuse themselves with “I’m not ready” or “I’m not good enough”?
Thida: My advice would be “don’t overthink”, especially if you are at the age when you don’t have that much to consider. If you have the opportunity to do it, do it. We have fewer days to live as days go by, and it’s not like we plan to change our paths every day. When it comes knocking on your door, at that point when it ignites your inspiration, when it says “HERE I AM!”, and you have a look around and see nothing too scary, that’s IT. If you let it slip pass you, you’ll probably have to wait another 7-8 years before something of this nature comes along again. Golden opportunities don’t come often. However, ultimately, everything that you do has to be realistic to a certain degree. My case, for example, I knew that I will not go back to carrying the fix cost that does not correlate with the revenue like I did while doing the magazine. With everything I do now there’s information and knowledge to back up the plan. It’s not like you dream of something new and quit immediately. I stepped out to do something that I already have a certain degree of capital for.”
MATILDA Value: Accountable
Being responsible and listens to feedback
We wonder what you personally think is the most important value that supported you on your journey from Bioscope to the Documentary Club?
To this question, Thida answered with no hesitation that it’s “Endurance”, as well as the knowledge that what she’s doing is useful. “I am able to keep doing what I do because of the small feedbacks I get telling me that what I do, or the films that I screen, even if only a handful of people watched it, meant something to someone, even if it’s just one person. When they say or write to me, “It’s so good. Thanks for screening this film.” It’s these things that keep me going. It’s what I hold on to. The knowledge that there’s someone benefiting from what I do.” Also, “I’m a serious person. If I can have things my way then I want to do everything myself. I want things to be products of my thoughts and actions. If it fails, it better fail in my own hands and not others.”
MATILDA value: Altruistic and Loving to Others
Thinking of others. Thinking of the society.
Thida considers that her work on documentaries and films help increase diversity and promote social education.
“Do you find audiences’ tastes limits how you can do you work?”
Thida, “I don’t blame the audiences or their taste. For example, I don’t ask blaming questions like “Why do Thais like this type of movie?”. I think it’s the same everywhere, not exclusive only to Thailand. The audiences are not at fault to like certain genres. The issue lies with the fact that we lack the more sophisticated layers of options for them. The ideal situation is that options are available and children are taught in such ways that they can appreciate all kinds of films, when they can find Poj Arnon’s movies entertaining while appreciating Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s films at the same time. Our important task is to cultivate it. The different shades and layers will not just appear, they have to be created by us.”
Up to this point, we realised that Thida is someone who is mindful of who she is, determine, persistent, responsible, has the thirst towards her passion, curious, and questions things around her. These values have accompanied her on her journey for the past decades. Apart from being the fighter that she is, the “Matilda-ness” in her means that she is also empathetic towards the members of the new generation that are making decisions about what to do in their lives. She personally thinks that everyone should be supported by the states through better social infrastructures.
This was reflected in her answers when we asked her, “What would you like to say to the younger members of society who dream about working in art and culture, or other creating careers, that others in society see as hobbies or entertainment, but not serious careers that can practically sustain livelihoods.”
Thida, “My view is that we live to discover. I see many younger people at 20-30 years old suffer from pressuring themselves with negative questions, such as “My age is already this much, why am I not yet so and so?” Or be pressured by their family asking when they will be successful. I am of the opinion that these things are not necessary. You can keep looking, it’s totally fine. I want my kids to be that way too. It’s not a requirement that you have to be successful at a certain age, or even be successful at all. It’s not a must! Who told you to mark your life’s goal there? Even if you’ve never been successful at all in your life, but you can get by in your own way, taking care of yourself and not be a burden to anyone else, I’m satisfied. If we can live thinking of things this way, we’ll have much more liberties in life. We all should have liberties, but we don’t because of the frames that limits us, forcing us to behave in certain ways. Ultimately, I think, the society has to reshape itself so that everyone can be considered valuable human resources in their own fashion and can sustain their livelihoods. Governments have to consider welfares to assist their own citizens in coming out of the old frame of belief that everyone needs to be pushed into conventional and formal labour market.”
Our talk today reaffirms that “There is uncertainty in every change, all of which can be quite intimidating.” In Thida’s example, leaving a stable income to establish her own magazine, a niche magazine that came with high fixed cost and constant pressuring deadlines is not a simple feat. After more than a decade, when the magazine she built and nurtured with her own hands had proven to be unsustainable, she did not fail to step out when the time is right. We applaud her courage to begin yet again with the Documentary Club that challenges the current norms of the Thai film industry with documentaries on the tough condition that Thai audiences and the overall environment of the film industry are not accustomed to this new form of entertainment yet. For example, the cinemas who need to focus on making profit to survive in the market. All in all, after retracing her journey with her, we found that each Matilda’s value, Mindful, Altruistic, Thirsty, Inquisitive, Loving to Others, Determine, and Accountable, are essential factors that can support us in our challenge against fear and become successful in ways of our own design.
Before we finish the conversation, we cannot help asking the last question on our mind,
Have you ever felt “I shouldn’t have quit my job?”
“Never”, she answered This answer is the ultimate confirmation that each decision made by Thida to challenge her limitations were correct. Even though, of course, it meant leaving the comfort zones for the unknown hardships and building everything from ground up again and again. However, if the choices we made are really important for us and suit the ways we want to live our lives, you can bet that the choice can never be wrong and you will have no regrets.
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