Tibetan indie filmmaker Pema Tseden dies at 53
Pema Tseden, the Tibetan independent movie director and writer best known for Jinpa and Balloon, has died aged 53. Reports claim Tseden was in Tibet when he died suddenly following a brief and as yet undisclosed illness. Unconfirmed Chinese news sources say he had a heart attack.
The tragic news was first reported by the China Academy of Art, where Tseden taught filmmaking arts as a professor.
“Pema Tseden, a famous Tibetan director, screenwriter and professor at the Film School of the China Academy of Art, died in Tibet in the early hours of May 8 due to an acute illness. Due to the sudden incident, the school will work with Mr Tseden’s family to deal with the follow-up matters. The relevant information will be announced in due course,” the Academy said in their statement.
Tseden, who also went by the Chinese name Wanmaciadan, worked in the official Chinese film system of script approvals, censorship and release permits. He was also the first Tibetan student to graduate from the now-famous Beijing Film School.
Tseden was widely regarded as the apical force within the so-called Tibetan New Wave, and his notable credits include Silent Holy Stones, The Sun Beaten Path and Tharlo. His last three completed movies were all invited to air at the Venice Film Festival.
Watch the trailer for Silent Holy Stones below.
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