Sonthar Gyal (born 1974) is a Tibetan film director in People's Republic of China.
[1][2] Sonthar Gyal was born in Tongde County, Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai.
Afterwards he received a scholarship to study fine arts at the Qinghai Normal University in Xining.
Later, encouraged by his friend Pema Tseden who also hails from Hainan Prefecture,[3] Sonthar Gyal followed him to the prestigious Beijing Film Academy, where he studied cinematography for 2 years with the support of Trace Foundation.
Upon graduation, he worked as a cinematographer and artistic director for a series of films and documentaries, many directed by Pema Tseden.