Kundun

Kundun
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Martin Scorsese
Written by	Melissa Mathison
Produced by	Barbara De Fina
Starring	Tenzin Thuthob Tsarong Gyurme Tethong Tulku Jamyang Kunga Tenzin Tenzin Yeshi Paichang
Cinematography	Roger Deakins
Edited by	Thelma Schoonmaker
Music by	Philip Glass
Production companies	Touchstone Pictures Cappa Productions[1] De Fina Productions[1]
Distributed by	Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
Release date	December 25, 1997 (1997-12-25) (United States)
Running time	134 minutes
Country	United States
Languages	English Tibetan Chinese
Budget	$28 million[2]
Box office	$5.7 million[2]

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 Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, the exiled political and spiritual leader of Tibet. Tenzin Thuthob Tsarong, a grandnephew of the Dalai Lama, stars as the adult Dalai Lama, while Tencho Gyalpo, a niece of the Dalai Lama, appears as the Dalai Lama's mother.

"Kundun" (སྐུ་མདུན་ Wylie: sku mdun in Tibetan), meaning "presence", is a title by which the Dalai Lama is addressed. Kundun was released only a few months after Seven Years in Tibet, sharing the latter's location and its depiction of the Dalai Lama at several stages of his youth, though Kundun covers a period three times longer. It is the final film penned by Mathison to be released before her death in 2015, although her final project, The BFG, was released posthumously.