Sonthar Gyal

Sonthar Gyal b 1974 is a Tibetan director from Tongde County Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture Qinghai Gyal studied at the Tsolho Nationalities Teacher Training College in Hainan Prefecture and taught in the nomadic community for four years Afterwards he received a scholarship to study fine arts at the Qinghai Normal University in Xining After graduating in 2003 with a BA in Fine Arts he worked as an art teacher and a curator at the Tongde Cultural Museum Encouraged by his friend Pema Tseden who also hails from Hainan Prefecture Gyal followed him to the prestigious Beijing Film Academy where he studied cinematography for 2 years with the support of Trace Foundation Upon graduation Gyal worked as a cinematographer and artistic director for a series of films and documentaries many directed by Tseden He made his directorial debut in 2011 with The Sun Beaten Path Wikipedia