Pema Tseden | |
---|---|
པད་མ་ཚེ་བརྟན། | |
Tseden in 2012 | |
Born | December 1969 Guide County, Qinghai, China |
Died | 8 May 2023 53) | (aged
Alma mater | Northwest University for Nationalities Beijing Film Academy |
Occupation(s) | Director, screenwriter |
Years active | 1991–2023 |
Organization(s) | China Film Directors' Guild China Film Association Chinese Film Literature Association |
Notable work | The Silent Holy Stones Tharlo |
Pema Tseden (Tibetan : པད་མ་ཚེ་བརྟན།, Wylie : pad ma tshe brtan), also called Wanma Caidan (simplified Chinese :万玛才旦; traditional Chinese :萬瑪才旦; pinyin :Wàn mǎ cái dàn; December 1969 – 8 May 2023) was a Chinese Tibetan film director and screenwriter. [1] He was a professor at the China Academy of Art in Hangzhou [2] and a member of the Film Directors Guild of China, China Film Association, and Chinese Film Literature Association. He is known for making many films entirely in Tibetan language and presenting a more realistic depiction of Tibetan life as opposed to the exoticism often associated with the region.
Pema Tseden was born into a pastoral family, in Guide County, Qinghai, in December 1969, during the Cultural Revolution. He was raised by his grandfather, who was a monk. [3] He was the only one of three siblings to have finished school. [4] He graduated from Northwest University for Nationalities, where he majored in Tibetan Language and Literature. After graduation, he worked as a primary school teacher and a civil servant. Then he pursued advanced studies at China's most prestigious film school, Beijing Film Academy, where he became the Academy's first-ever Tibetan student. [4] [5]
Pema Tseden's debut work, The Silent Holy Stones , won the Best Directorial Debut at the 25th Golden Rooster Awards, Asian New Talent Award for Best Director at the 9th Shanghai International Film Festival, Special Jury Award at the 8th Changchun Film Festival, and Best First Feature at the 13th Beijing College Student Film Festival.
In 2009, Soul Searching won the Special Jury Award at the 12th Shanghai International Film Festival and was nominated for Golden Goblet Award.
Tharlo , a film adaptation based on the novel of the same name by himself, won the Best Adapted Screenplay at the 52nd Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards, also prizes in the 23rd Beijing College Student Film Festival, and the film was nominated for Golden Lion at the 72nd Venice International Film Festival. [6] [7]
In June 2016, Pema Tseden was detained by police after attempting to re-enter the baggage claim area at Xining airport to retrieve one of his luggage. [8] The police said he refused to cooperate and suffered three cuts where the handcuff dug into his skin. His colleagues reported that during the scuffle, he was grabbed by the hair and suffered many bruises, after which he was interrogated all night. On Saturday, he was ordered to serve administrative detention but was hospitalized the following Monday after experiencing headaches, chest pains, and high blood sugar. Wang Lei, media director for Tharlo , said Pema Tseden had diabetes and was not able to medicate normally during detention. [9] The Film Directors Guild of China issued a statement calling for an investigation into whether the police had used excessive force. [10]
Pema Tseden was the first filmmaker in greater China to make films entirely in Tibetan language. [10] He was known for his realistic portrayal of modern Tibetans, compared to the more mystical depictions often associated with the region. [8]
Filmmakers are starting to more accurately capture the essence of life in Tibet. They are starting to let go of the old stereotypes.
— Pema Tseden, The New York Times
Pema Tseden died from heart failure on 8 May 2023, at the age of 53. He was about to finish the ninth film that would have been both written and directed by himself. [11] [12] He had a son. [2]
Year | English title | Tibetan title | Chinese title | Director |
---|---|---|---|---|
2002 | The Silent Holy Stones | ལྷང་འཇགས་ཀྱི་མ་ཎི་རྡོ་འབུམ། | 静静的嘛呢石 | |
2004 | The Grassland | རྩྭ་ཐང་། | 草原 | |
The Weatherman's Legacy | 最后的防雹师 | |||
2005 | The Last Hail Suppresso | 末代防雹师 | ||
2007 | Soul Searching (or The Search) | འཚོལ། | 寻找智美更登 | |
嘎陀大法会 | ||||
桑耶寺 | ||||
2011 | Old Dog | ཁྱི་རྒན། | 老狗 | |
2009 | Flares Wafting in 1983 | 喇叭裤飘荡在1983 | ||
2014 | The Sacred Arrow | གཡང་མདའ། | 五彩神箭 | |
2015 | Tharlo | ཐར་ལོ། | 塔洛 | |
2017 | My Little Lama | ངའི་བཙུན་ཆུང་།། | 我的小喇嘛 | |
2018 | Jinpa | ལག་དམར། | 撞死了一只羊 | |
2019 | Balloon | དབུགས་ལྒང་། | 气球 | |
2020 | Cordyceps | 冬虫夏草 | ||
Singer | གླུ་པ། | Screen writer | ||
2022 | Eternal Day | 永恒的一天 | Director | |
Strangers | ||||
2023 | Seventeen Mile | 十七英里 | ||
Snow Leopard | གངས་གཟིག | 雪豹 | ||
2024 | Have a nice trip | འགྲུལ་ལམ་བདེ་མོ། | 祝你旅途愉快 |
Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2005 | 25th Golden Rooster Awards | Best Directorial Debut | The Silent Holy Stones | Won | |
10th Busan International Film Festival | New Currents Award | Nominated | |||
2006 | 9th Shanghai International Film Festival | Asian New Talent Award for Best Director | Won | ||
8th Changchun Film Festival | Best Director | Nominated | |||
Special Jury Award | Won | ||||
13th Beijing College Student Film Festival | Best First Feature | Won | |||
2007 | 7th Chinese Film Media Award | Best New Director | Nominated | ||
2009 | 12th Shanghai International Film Festival | Golden Goblet | Soul Searching | Nominated | |
Special Jury Award | Won | ||||
7th Bangkok International Film Festival | Grand Jury Prize | Won | |||
62nd Locarno International Film Festival | Best Film | Nominated | |||
25th Warsaw International Film Festival | Nominated | ||||
3rd Seoul Digital Film Festival | Nominated | ||||
53rd London International Film Festival | Nominated | ||||
Nantes Three Continents Film Festival | Nominated | ||||
16th Beijing University Film Festival | Nominated | ||||
2011 | 12th Tokyo Future International Film Festival | Best Picture | Old Dog | Won | |
2012 | Brooklyn Film Festival | Best Native Feature | Won | [14] | |
2014 | 17th Shanghai International Film Festival | Golden Goblet | The Sacred Arrow | Nominated | |
2015 | Chinese Film Directors Association | Screenwriter of the Year | Nominated | ||
72nd Venice International Film Festival | Golden Lion | Tharlo | Nominated | ||
52nd Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards | Best Director | Nominated | |||
Best Adapted Screenplay | Won | ||||
Best Feature Film | Nominated | ||||
2016 | 23rd Beijing College Student Film Festival | Artistic Exploration Award | Won | ||
Best Picture | Nominated | ||||
Best Director | Nominated | ||||
22nd Visul Asia International Film Festival | Golden Tricycle Award | Won | |||
Paris Oriental Language Award | Won | ||||
16th Tokyo Filmex | Best Film | Won | |||
Student Jury Award | Won | ||||
12th China Independent Film Exhibition | Best Film of the Year | Won | |||
17th Chinese Film Media Awards | Best Film | Nominated | |||
Best Director | Nominated | ||||
Best Screenplay | Nominated | ||||
2017 | 31st Golden Rooster Awards | Best Low-budget Feature | Won | ||
2018 | 75th Venice International Film Festival | Best Screenplay | Jinpa | Won | [15] |
55th Golden Horse Awards | Best Director | Nominated | |||
Best | Nominated | ||||
3rd Lizhi International Film Festival | Best Film | Won | |||
2019 | 76th Venice International Film Festival | Balloon | Nominated | ||
2019 Toronto International Film Festival | Contemporary World Cinema | Nominated | |||
24th Busan International Film Festival | A Window on Asian Cinema | Nominated | |||
20th Tokyo Filmex | Won | ||||
Asia-Pacific Film Festival | Best Film | Nominated | |||
5th Chicago International Film Festival | Best Screenplay | Won | |||
2nd Hainan Island International Film Festival | Best Film | Won | [16] |
Tseten Dolma is a Tibetan soprano. She was born August 1, 1937, to a serf family in Shigatse, Tibet. Tseten was influenced by Tibetan folk music from a very young age, and first performed on stage in 1956. She is known for starring in the 1965 musical epic The East Is Red.
Xue Xiaolu is a Chinese film director and screenwriter. She is considered one of the top Chinese female directors. Her first major feature was Ocean Heaven, (2010) which stars Jet Li, followed by Finding Mr. Right (2013) starring Tang Wei and Wu Xiubo. Her top-grossing film is Finding Mr. Right 2. Her films have won multiple awards in China and abroad, including the Outstanding New Screen Writer award at the fifteenth HuaBiao Awards, and Best Director at the 2013 China Image Film Festival. Xue is also a teacher at the Beijing Film Academy, and has been a volunteer with Beijing Stars and Rain, a non-governmental educational organization for autistic children, for 14 years.
Cao Shui born June 5, 1982, also known as Shawn Cao, courtesy name Yaou (Eurasian), pseudonym or haoLord of Tower of Babel, is a Chinese poet, novelist, screenwriter and translator. He is one of the representative figures of Chinese Contemporary Literature. He leads the Great Poetry Movement. In his Declaration of Great Poetry, he aims to integrate sacred and secular cultures, oriental and occidental cultures, ancient and modern cultures in Chinese literature. His most notable works include the Epic of Eurasia, Secret of Heaven (trilogy), and King Peacock. His works are dedicated to rebuilding a republic in which the whole humanity can live in freedom, which he always described as Eurasia, the Top of the Tower of Babel or Kunlun Mountains. As of 2024, 46 books of Cao Shui have been published, including 10 poem collections, 4 essay collections, 10 novels, 18 fairy tales,4 translations and one hundred episodes TV series and films. He is a member of China Writers' Association, China Film Association, and World Poetry Movement. His works have been translated into 26 languages by 2024. He is also the editor-in-chief of Great Poem and deputy editor-in-chief of World Poetry. Currently he lives in Beijing as a professional writer and screenwriter.
Pema is a Tibetan name meaning "lotus", which originated as a loanword from Sanskrit padma. People who have this name as one of their given names include:
Bayan is an ethnic Mongol actor and director from Inner Mongolia. He is known for his roles in Laughing in the Wind (2001), The Legend of the Condor Heroes (2003), and Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils (2003). Sichin Hangru (2009), his first film as a director, won the Best National Theme Creation Award at the 17th Beijing College Student Film Festival, a Special Award at the Cologne Mediterranean Film Festival, and a Best Director Award by the Mongolia National Film Association. Another film of his, Norjmaa (2015), earned him a Best Small and Medium Cost Feature Award in the 30th Golden Rooster Awards, a Best Film Award at the 33rd Fajr International Film Festival, and a Best National Theme Creation Award at the 21st Beijing College Student Film Festival, and received Golden Rooster Award nomination for Best Director.
Tharlo is a 2015 Chinese Tibetan-language comedy-drama film written and directed by Pema Tseden. It premiered in the Horizons section at the 72nd edition of the Venice Film Festival. It was released in China on December 9, 2016, and on DVD by Icarus Films on February 14, 2017.
A Tibetan-language film is a motion picture where the Tibetan language is spoken significantly. Some Tibetan language films include "Tharlo" and Old Dog, directed by Pema Tseden, China's first director to make films entirely in the Tibetan language, Pawo (2016), directed by Marvin Litwak, and "River"(2015), by Sonthar Gyal
Sonthar Gyal is a Tibetan film director in People's Republic of China. His films include The Sun Beaten Path (2011) and River (2015).
Old Dog is a 2011 Tibetan feature film written and directed by Pema Tseden, and starring Yanbum Gyal, Drolma Kyab, Lochey Lochey, Tamdrin Tso. Old Dog picks up the story of a father and son against the backdrop of China's escalating trade in Tibetan mastiffs. The film won Best Narrative Feature at the 2012 Brooklyn Film Festival and Best Picture at the 12th Tokyo Future International Film Festival. The film premiered at the 2011 Hong Kong International Film Festival, and was released in China in 2011.
The Silent Holy Stones is a 2006 Tibetan feature film written and directed by Pema Tseden. The Silent Holy Stones is about the tale of a young Lama who comes from a remote monastery is enthusiastic about life, eager to learn, and curious about everything. The film won the Best Directorial Debut at the 25th Golden Rooster Awards, Asian New Talent Award for Best Director at the 8th Changchun Film Festival, and Best First Feature at the 13th Beijing College Student Film Festival. The film was released on June 1, 2006, in China.
The Search or Soul Searching is a 2009 Tibetan romance film written and directed by Pema Tseden. The Search is the first-ever film made in Western China's Tibet Autonomous Region to have been shot entirely with a Tibetan crew and in the Tibetan language. The film picks up the story of a photographer and a director travels from village to village looking for actors to star in a film based on the Tibetan opera Drimé Kunden, a legendary account of a prince who selflessly gives away his children and his own eyes to those in need. The film premiered at Locarno International Film Festival on August 11, 2009. The Search won Special Jury Award at the 12th Shanghai International Film Festival and was nominated for Golden Goblet.
Lu Yang is a Chinese film director and screenwriter best known for his works My Spectacular Theatre, Brotherhood of Blades and Brotherhood of Blades II: The Infernal Battlefield.
The Chainbreakers is a 2017 Chinese Tibet-themed epic film co-written and directed by Yang Rui, and stars Tobgyal, Lobsang Namdak, Wang Ziyi, Yang Xiucuo and Ngawang Rinchen. The film was released on December 8, 2017, in China. The film picks up the story of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) soldier Hua Shan participated in the annexation of Tibet by the People's Republic of China and his contradiction of local Tibetan tribal chief, bandit and butler.
Soul on a String is a 2016 Chinese Tibetan-language adventure film directed by Zhang Yang and co-written by Zhang Yang and Tashi Dawa, based on Tashi Dawa's short stories "Souls Tied to the Knots on a Leather Cord" and "On the Road to Lhasa" (去拉萨的路上). It stars Kimba, Choenyi Tsering, Siano Dudiom Zahi, and Yixi Danzeng. The film premiered at the 19th Shanghai International Film Festival on June 15, 2016, and opened in China on August 18, 2017.
The Hainan Island International Film Festival is a film festival held in Sanya, Hainan, China. The inaugural festival was held from December 9 to 16, and included forums, ceremonies, and competitions. Actor Jackie Chan is the promotional ambassador.
Balloon is a 2019 Chinese drama film written and directed by Pema Tseden. It was screened in the Horizons section at the 76th Venice International Film Festival.
Garma Cedain, also spelled Gama Zeden, is a Chinese politician of Tibetan ethnicity who is a current vice chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Regional Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, in office since January 2022.
The 36th Tokyo International Film Festival is film festival that took place from October 23 to November 1, 2023. German filmmaker Wim Wenders served as jury president.
Snow Leopard is a 2023 Chinese Tibetan-language drama film written and directed by Pema Tseden, at his final film. it premiered out of competition at the 80th edition of the Venice International Film Festival.