Pema Tseden rose from his humble beginnings on the Tibetan grasslands to become a celebrated and critically acclaimed filmmaker in global art cinema. With his extraordinary vision, prodigious energy and his astonishing heart, Pema won countless awards and admirers, and created one of the greatest storytelling legacies in Tibetan history.
He was born in Amdo to a pastoralist family and worked as a primary school teacher and civil servant while writing and publishing to critical acclaim in Tibetan and Chinese. In 2002, he was the first Tibetan to attend the Beijing Film Academy and in 2005 his first feature length film, Silent Holy Stones, won the prestigious Golden Rooster award for Best Directorial Début. Since then, his many films, including Tharlo (2015), Jinpa (2018) and Balloon (2019), have been critically acclaimed and awarded prestigious prizes and accolades from at prominent international festivals.
Pema tragically passed away on May 8th, 2023. From a land of storytellers, he will always be remembered as one of the true greats and original minds who shaped the contemporary Tibetan era.
It has been our great honor to work with Pema Tseden since his early days of filmmaking. Pema was a treasured friend as well as a member of Machik's advisory board. He participated in our community-based education programs with tremendous heart and generosity. Pema was the first Machik Weekend keynote speaker from Tibet, and he was a dynamic lecturer at Machik’s 2013 Summer Enrichment Program held on the shores of Tsongonpo in Amdo, Tibet.
He was born in Amdo to a pastoralist family and worked as a primary school teacher and civil servant while writing and publishing to critical acclaim in Tibetan and Chinese. In 2002, he was the first Tibetan to attend the Beijing Film Academy and in 2005 his first feature length film, Silent Holy Stones, won the prestigious Golden Rooster award for Best Directorial Début. Since then, his many films, including Tharlo (2015), Jinpa (2018) and Balloon (2019), have been critically acclaimed and awarded prestigious prizes and accolades from at prominent international festivals.
Pema tragically passed away on May 8th, 2023. From a land of storytellers, he will always be remembered as one of the true greats and original minds who shaped the contemporary Tibetan era.
It has been our great honor to work with Pema Tseden since his early days of filmmaking. Pema was a treasured friend as well as a member of Machik's advisory board. He participated in our community-based education programs with tremendous heart and generosity. Pema was the first Machik Weekend keynote speaker from Tibet, and he was a dynamic lecturer at Machik’s 2013 Summer Enrichment Program held on the shores of Tsongonpo in Amdo, Tibet.