Pawo Choyning Dorji

Biography

Pawo Choyning Dorji (Dzongkha: དཔའ་བོ་ཆོས་དབྱིངས་རྡོ་རྗི།; born 23 June 1983) is a Bhutanese filmmaker. His feature directorial debut, Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom, was nominated for Best International Feature Film at the 94th Academy Awards in 2022. His second film The Monk and the Gun (2023) premiered at the Telluride and Toronto International Film Festivals and was shortlisted for Best International Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards. His short documentary A Song for the Snow Lion, made with cellist Yo-Yo Ma, premiered at the Telluride Film Festival.

Dorji, a devout Buddhist, is a student of renowned Buddhist master and filmmaker Khyentse Norbu, and discovered filmmaking working w...