Directing

Pawo Choyning Dorji

Born June 23, 1983 · Thimphu, Bhutan (age 43)

Pawo Choyning Dorji (Dzongkha: དཔའ་བོ་ཆོས་དབྱིངས་རྡོ་རྗི།; born 23 June 1983; Darjeeling) is a Bhutanese filmmmaker, writer, photographer. His feature directorial debut Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom (2019) was nominated for Best International Feature Film at the 94th Academy Awards. His second film The Monk and the Gun (2023) was shortlisted for the Best International Feature Film for the upcomin…

Known For

Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom

Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom · 2019

Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom

A teacher, in search of inspiration, travels to the most remote school in the world, where he ends up realizing how important his job is and appreciating the value of yak dung.

The Monk and the Gun

The Monk and the Gun · 2023

The Monk and the Gun

MovieComedyDrama

An American travels to Bhutan searching for a valuable antique rifle and crosses paths with a young monk who wanders through the serene mountains, instructed by his teacher to make things right again.

Hema Hema

Hema Hema · 2016

MovieDramaMystery

The dazzling new film from Bhutanese lama and filmmaker Khyentse Norbu (The Cup, Travellers and Magicians) chronicles a sacred jungle ritual whose masked, anonymous participants seek after complete self-knowledge — or descend into thievery, violation, and murder.

Tales of Taipei

Tales of Taipei · 2024

Tales of Taipei

A heartfelt piece that tells the stories of Taipei streets, people and communities. From ten directors across the globe, creating ten unique stories of Taipei, through various backgrounds, delivering the same heartfelt message.

Vara: A Blessing

Vara: A Blessing · 2014

Vara: A Blessing

MovieDramaRomance

In a small Indian village, Lila is learning to dance from her mother, Devadasi, a Bharatanatyam dancer. She falls in love with low class Shyam, who dreams of becoming a sculptor. Shyam asks Lila to model for him as he sculpts a goddess, and the two become very close. However, their relationship is discovered by the village chief Subha, and Lila decides to sacrifice her happiness for her mother and Shyam.

My Sweet Pala

My Sweet Pala · 2025

Born to Tibetan immigrant parents in America, 11-year-old Pema has always felt the protective embrace of her close-knit community, and the overprotective eye of her father, Kelsang. However, an unexpected incident reveals the harsh realities her father has been shielding her from, and Pema begins to understand the complexities of her minority status in society for the first time.

Filmography

Sort

Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom

Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom · 2019

Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom

A teacher, in search of inspiration, travels to the most remote school in the world, where he ends up realizing how important his job is and appreciating the value of yak dung.

Screenplay

The Monk and the Gun

The Monk and the Gun · 2023

The Monk and the Gun

MovieComedyDrama

An American travels to Bhutan searching for a valuable antique rifle and crosses paths with a young monk who wanders through the serene mountains, instructed by his teacher to make things right again.

Producer

Hema Hema

Hema Hema · 2016

MovieDramaMystery

The dazzling new film from Bhutanese lama and filmmaker Khyentse Norbu (The Cup, Travellers and Magicians) chronicles a sacred jungle ritual whose masked, anonymous participants seek after complete self-knowledge — or descend into thievery, violation, and murder.

Producer

Tales of Taipei

Tales of Taipei · 2024

Tales of Taipei

A heartfelt piece that tells the stories of Taipei streets, people and communities. From ten directors across the globe, creating ten unique stories of Taipei, through various backgrounds, delivering the same heartfelt message.

Director

Vara: A Blessing

Vara: A Blessing · 2014

Vara: A Blessing

MovieDramaRomance

In a small Indian village, Lila is learning to dance from her mother, Devadasi, a Bharatanatyam dancer. She falls in love with low class Shyam, who dreams of becoming a sculptor. Shyam asks Lila to model for him as he sculpts a goddess, and the two become very close. However, their relationship is discovered by the village chief Subha, and Lila decides to sacrifice her happiness for her mother and Shyam.

Assistant Director

My Sweet Pala

My Sweet Pala · 2025

Born to Tibetan immigrant parents in America, 11-year-old Pema has always felt the protective embrace of her close-knit community, and the overprotective eye of her father, Kelsang. However, an unexpected incident reveals the harsh realities her father has been shielding her from, and Pema begins to understand the complexities of her minority status in society for the first time.

Executive Producer