Photo: Nancy Pelosi from San Francisco, CA / CC BY 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Dhondup Wangchen is, for me, a name that demands a different kind of attention. A Tibetan filmmaker imprisoned by the Chinese government in 2008 over his documentary Leaving Fear Behind, he turned journalism and directing into acts of resistance rather than mere expression. The 2012 CPJ International Press Freedom Award and the 2014 Václav Havel Prize are recognition of real courage, not box-office charm. I love entertainers, but I believe we have a duty to remember people who picked up a camera knowing it could cost them their freedom. He earns more than admiration here, he earns reverence.
Overview
Dhondup Wangchen (Standard Tibetan: དོན་གྲུབ་དབང་ཆེན་, Wylie: don grub dbang chen; born 17 October 1974) is a Tibetan filmmaker who had been imprisoned by the Chinese government in 2008 on charges related to his documentary Leaving Fear Behind.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Dhondup Wangchen
- Name (Japanese)
- トンドゥプ・ワンチェン
- Reading
- とんどぅぷ・わんちぇん
- Born
- October 17, 1974 (age 51)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Libra / Tiger
- Origin
- Hualong Hui Autonomous County, People's Republic of China
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- journalist / screenwriter / film director / actor / resistance fighter
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Private
Awards & achievements
- 2012 CPJ International Press Freedom Awards
- 2014 Václav Havel Prize
- Courage Award
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Journalist — see all → · Screenwriter — see all → · More people from People's Republic of China →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.