Pema Dhondup Gakyil, who is professionally credited as Pema Dhondup,
is a Tibetan film director and actor. He directed and produced We're
No Monks (2004) and The Man from Kathmandu (2019), and he provided
voiceovers for Tenzin in the Uncharted series of video games. He has
resided in Los Angeles, California, since 2004.Dhondup was born in
Tibet. Following the Chinese annexation of Tibet, his family fled to
Jomsom, Nepal, before settling in Himachal Pradesh, India. Dhondup
earned a degree in marketing from Kurukshetra University in 1990 and
began working for the music division of CBS-Sony India. Over the next
six years, he produced documentaries, commercial advertising,
institutional films, and television series. He became interested in
filmmaking after viewing Schindler's List in 1996. From 1999 to 2002
he studied at the School of Cinematic Arts at the University of
Southern California on a Fulbright scholarship. Dhondup stated that he
sought to use film to "tell our story, of our community, of our lost
generation â€" a contemporary story of Tibetan youth". He and his wife
founded their production company Clear Mirror Pictures in 2004. They
have made their home in Los Angeles since 2004. In July 2017, Dhondup
became a founding partner of TriCity Pictures, which produces films in
the Himalayas for a global audience.Dhondup made his directorial debut
with the 2004 Tibetan drama We're No Monks (2004) starring Indian
actor Gulshan Grover and Tibetan actor Tsering Dorjee in the lead
roles. In a BBC News interview, Dhondup called it "the first film to
explore discontent among the young Tibetan exiles". The film was
screened at the 2004 Himalayan Film Festival and received mixed
reviews from critics and audiences; according to Nyay Bhushan of
Phayul.com, it "attempts to deconstruct the image of Tibetans as
peaceful monks awash in Technicolor glory in Hollywood".
is a Tibetan film director and actor. He directed and produced We're
No Monks (2004) and The Man from Kathmandu (2019), and he provided
voiceovers for Tenzin in the Uncharted series of video games. He has
resided in Los Angeles, California, since 2004.Dhondup was born in
Tibet. Following the Chinese annexation of Tibet, his family fled to
Jomsom, Nepal, before settling in Himachal Pradesh, India. Dhondup
earned a degree in marketing from Kurukshetra University in 1990 and
began working for the music division of CBS-Sony India. Over the next
six years, he produced documentaries, commercial advertising,
institutional films, and television series. He became interested in
filmmaking after viewing Schindler's List in 1996. From 1999 to 2002
he studied at the School of Cinematic Arts at the University of
Southern California on a Fulbright scholarship. Dhondup stated that he
sought to use film to "tell our story, of our community, of our lost
generation â€" a contemporary story of Tibetan youth". He and his wife
founded their production company Clear Mirror Pictures in 2004. They
have made their home in Los Angeles since 2004. In July 2017, Dhondup
became a founding partner of TriCity Pictures, which produces films in
the Himalayas for a global audience.Dhondup made his directorial debut
with the 2004 Tibetan drama We're No Monks (2004) starring Indian
actor Gulshan Grover and Tibetan actor Tsering Dorjee in the lead
roles. In a BBC News interview, Dhondup called it "the first film to
explore discontent among the young Tibetan exiles". The film was
screened at the 2004 Himalayan Film Festival and received mixed
reviews from critics and audiences; according to Nyay Bhushan of
Phayul.com, it "attempts to deconstruct the image of Tibetans as
peaceful monks awash in Technicolor glory in Hollywood".
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