Tashi and the Monk

A man creates a remarkable children's community, and struggles with the dark forces unleashed in the process.

Tashi and the Monk The hit HBO doc! A Buddhist monk who spent years as a spiritual teacher in America returns to the Himalayan foothills of his infancy. There, he has set up Jhamtse Gatsal, a home for abandoned children. Tashi, a little girl with a traumatic past, is its newest pupil. She will be his toughest challenge yet. Tashi and the Monk is the story of a chaotic community with no higher purpose than giving its young members the joys of childhood.

Laurel Winner - Emmy for Best Short Documentary, 2016
Laurel Nominated - Channel4 Best Newcomer Documentary, Grierson Awards 2015
Laurel Winner - Best International Short, Documentary Edge Festival, 2015
Laurel Winner - Best Film Mountain Culture, Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival, 2015
Laurel Winner - Best Film Mountain Culture, Banff Mountain Film Festival, 2014
Laurel Winner - Moving Mountains Award, Mountainfilm in Telluride, 2014
Laurel Winner - Indomitable Spirit Award, Mountainfilm in Telluride, 2014
Laurel Winner - Pare Lorentz Award, International Documentary Association, 2014
Laurel Winner - Best Short Award, International Documentary Association, 2014

The Producers


Andrew Hinton and Johnny Burke spent many years as friends and filmmaking colleagues before collaborating as co-directors on Tashi and the Monk last year. The film has won a number of prizes, including the Pare Lorentz and Best Short awards at the International Documentary Association (IDA) Awards in Los Angeles in December 2014.


Andrew's background is as a producer but when his self-shot short Amar won the Vimeo Documentary Award in 2012 he moved towards making verite-style films of his own. Johnny has edited a number of feature documentaries, notably Sean McAllister's Reluctant Revolutionary (BBC Storyville) and his latest Syria, A Love Story (BFI/BBC).

Making The Film


They say it takes a village to raise a child, and that's nowhere more clear than at Jhamtse Gatsal. But it also takes a village to make a film (and share it with audiences). We've been deeply moved by the support this film has had, often before it has even been shown. It has screened to festival audiences across North America, Canada and Europe, and is now beginning the next phase of its journey with a US broadcast on HBO in Summer 2015.

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