ABOUT

GYALKHANG FILMS, nestled in Camelback, Phoenix, AZ, and the enchanting Emerald City of Seattle, WA, is devoted to bringing unique, untold stories rooted in the Tibetan diaspora to the world with a forward-looking spirit. We embrace emerging technologies to elevate storytelling.

Currently focused on producing our own independent projects, Gyalkhang Films is building a roadmap to eventually produce the work of other visionary directors. We aim to champion hand-selected Tibetan and diaspora filmmakers who align with our vision, possessing profound stories but lacking the resources to bring them to life. By bringing these projects under our banner, we will bridge the gap to high-quality execution and deliver the next generation of cinema to the world stage.

RABYOUNG THONDEN GYALKHANG

Tibetan-American filmmaker, designer, actor, and martial artist holding a Ni-Dan (2nd-degree black belt) in Goju-Ryu Karate. Born in Dharamsala, India (the residence of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama). He immigrated to the United States at the age of sixteen. Landing at SeaTac Airport, he met his father for just two hours before heading to Colorado to attend boarding school at the Colorado Rocky Mountain School (CRMS) in Carbondale.

He studied business at North Seattle College and Seattle University before launching a career in finance at a private equity hedge fund, where he spent eight years honing his skills in equity market securities arbitrage. Driven to pursue his creative passions, he pivoted to study multimedia design at the Seattle Creative Academy.

His subsequent career in mobile technology and advertising saw him collaborating with major global clients, including Telus, Taco Bell, Disney Mobile, Red Bull, and FCB. A definitive highlight of this phase was working alongside comic book legend Stan Lee to launch an animated series on mobile platforms across Latin America.

In 2007, he wrote, produced, and directed the documentary Blood Over Nangpa La, which chronicled the plight of Tibetan children fleeing their homeland. Moving in front of the camera, he co-starred in the 2019 film The Sweet Requiem, which premiered as an Official Selection at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). In 2026, he completed WAITING, a project that stands as a true testament to his multidisciplinary skillset, serving as the film's writer, director, producer, editor, VFX artist, and lead actor.

Brief Family History

• Great-Grandfather: Lhundup Sherpa Gyalpo was a prominent businessman who, at the request of the 13th Dalai Lama in the 1910s, discreetly brokered a historic commercial acquisition to quietly modernize the Tibetan army with English double-barrel Enfield MK II rifles (introduced in Tibet as Engi-Kardom).

• Grandfather: Pasang Tsering Khangsar was one of the founding partners of Lhasa’s very first movie theater in the 1940s, the historic Dekyi Waynor ("Enchanted Light of Happiness").

• Father: The late Losang Thonden was a prominent scholar, the former Secretary of Education for the Tibetan government-in-exile, and a cultural consultant and actor in major Hollywood films, including Little Buddha, Seven Years in Tibet, and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.

• Mother: served as the Deputy Secretary of Finance for the Tibetan government-in-exile and is the niece of Jamphel Yeshe Gyaltsen, the 5th Reting Rinpoche. The Regent of Tibet who led the search that identified the 14th Dalai Lama. She later became a celebrated culinary pioneer, introducing Tibetan fine dining with a modern fusion touch to the Pacific Northwest. In 2011, The Seattle Times named her restaurant, Tingmomo, one of the top ten in the city. She also appeared on KOMO-TV and the Food Network’s Taste of America with Jeffrey Saad before retiring in 2018.
  
  

He envisions harmonizing creativity with emerging technologies to craft stories once constrained by limitations, transcending genres across all mediums.