In Search of 'Kundun' with Martin Scorsese

Kundun is a 1997 American epic biographical film written by Melissa Mathison and directed by Martin Scorsese. It is based on the life and writings of the 14th Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso (known also as Kundun), the exiled political and spiritual leader of Tibet. A grandnephew of the Dalai Lama, Tenzin Thuthob Tsarong, stars as the adult Dalai Lama, while the Dalai Lama's niece Tencho Gyalpo appears as his mother. The film's release greatly angered the Chinese government, which objected to its content and threatened to block distributor Disney from accessing the Chinese market as a result. Disney consequently apologized and limited distribution of the film.