Filmmakers
Tenzin Rigden
Tenzin Rigden is a cameraman with the official video crew of the exiled Tibetan government, covering visits of His Holiness the Dalai Lama within India. He was born in Thaktser, a small village in Central Tibet, and studied at the Tibetan Children's Village in Dharamsala after fleeing the country in 1980. Since his childhood he has developed a keen interest in films and music. The footage of Chinese atrocities in Tibet, captured through hidden cameras by western tourists who brought the tragedy to the eyes of the international community, inspired Rigden and showed him the power of films and images in educating people.
Rigden finished his Bachelors Degree from the Punjab University, Chandigarh in 1997. Although he was not able to pursue a formal training in filmmaking, his interest in film and dedication to his country was instrumental in his offering to volunteer for the Audio Visual section of the Department of Information and International Relations of the exiled Tibetan government.
He learned from the professional staff during his services there and in 1999 became an official videographer. Besides covering visits of His Holiness the Dalai Lama he has filmed numerous functions in Dharamsala.