Pema Tseden Cause of Death

Tibetan filmmaker, Pema Tseden has been reported dead by the China Academy of Art where he taught as a professor. According to close sources, he died of a heart attack on May 8, 2023. He was 53 years old.

“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 a statement.

In June 2016, Tseden was detained by the police and was hospitalized after having been subjected to all-night interrogation. Some sources believe that it was the genesis of his health crises.

“Such terrible, terrible, terribly sad news of your passing, Pema Tseden, one of the most distinctive voices of contemporary cinema. I wish this wasn’t true,” Chinese programmer, Kiki Fung wrote in a Facebook post.

Born in December 1969, Pema Tseden graduated from Northwest University for Nationalities where he majored in Tibetan Language and Literature. He continued his education at the Beijing Festival Academy and became the first-ever Tibetan student.

His debut work The Silent Holy Stones, won the Best Directorial Debut at the 25th Golden Rooster Awards, Asian News 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.

Tesden’s movie, Soul Search also won the Special Jury Award in 2009 at the 12th Shanghai International Film Festival and was nominated for Golden Goblet Award.

He went on to make a film dubbed Tharlo, based on the novel of the same name which he wrote. The film won the Best Adapted Screenplay at the 52nd Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards, as well as prizes in the 23rd Beijing College Student Film Festival. The film was also nominated for Golden Lion at the 72nd Venice International Film Festival.

Tseden was known for producing several movies including The Search, Old Dog, The Sacred Arrow, Jinpa, Balloon, and more. He was reportedly working on a film titled Snow Leopard and another production when he died.