SimilarScreen
Kundun

Kundun

The destiny of a people lies in the heart of a boy.

19976.82h 14m

Overview

The Tibetans refer to the Dalai Lama as 'Kundun', which means 'The Presence'. He was forced to escape from his native home, Tibet, when communist China invaded and enforced an oppressive regime upon the peaceful nation. The Dalai Lama escaped to India in 1959 and has been living in exile in Dharamsala ever since.

Directed by Martin Scorsese
Written by Melissa Mathison
Produced by Barbara De Fina
Box OfficeBudget: $28.0MRevenue: $5.7M

Top Cast

Tenzin Thuthob Tsarong

Tenzin Thuthob Tsarong

Dalai Lama (Adult)

Tencho Gyalpo

Tencho Gyalpo

Mother

Tsewang Migyur Khangsar

Tsewang Migyur Khangsar

Father

Gyurme Tethong

Gyurme Tethong

Dalai Lama (Age 12)

Robert Lin

Robert Lin

Chairman Mao

Tulku Jamyang Kunga Tenzin

Tulku Jamyang Kunga Tenzin

Dalai Lama (Age 5)

Tenzin Yeshi Paichang

Tenzin Yeshi Paichang

Dalai Lama (Aged 2)

T

Tenzin Topjar

Lobsang (5-10)

T

Tenzin Lodoe

Takster

G

Geshi Yeshi Gyatso

Lama of Sera

Themes & Keywords

chinabuddhismbuddhist monkmountaintibetlhasabuddha

About Kundun

Kundun is a drama, history film released in 1997 exploring themes of china, buddhism, buddhist monk, mountain, tibet, lhasa. Directed by Martin Scorsese, it stars Tenzin Thuthob Tsarong, Tencho Gyalpo, Tsewang Migyur Khangsar. The Tibetans refer to the Dalai Lama as 'Kundun', which means 'The Presence'. He was forced to escape from his native home, Tibet, when communist China invaded and enforced an oppressive regime upon the peaceful nation. The Dalai Lama escaped to India in 1959 and has been living in exile in Dharamsala ever since.

Movies Similar to Kundun

Discover titles like Kundun — ranked by similarity and community votes

We found 15 movies similar to Kundun

If you enjoyed Kundun, you'll love these handpicked recommendations. Each title below shares similar themes, tone, and storytelling style. Our algorithm analyzes genres, keywords, director filmography, and cast connections to find the closest matches. Whether you're looking for the same emotional depth, narrative structure, or visual style, these picks are curated to deliver the best viewing experience for fans of Kundun.

Little Buddha
34% Match

After the death of Lama Dorje, Tibetan Buddhist monks find three children — one American and two Nepalese — who may be the rebirth of their great teacher.

The Last Emperor
30% Match

A dramatic history of Pu Yi, the last of the Emperors of China, from his lofty birth and brief reign in the Forbidden City, the object of worship by half a billion people; through his abdication, his decline and dissolute lifestyle; his exploitation by the invading Japanese, and finally to his obscure existence as just another peasant worker in the People's Republic.

The Horse Thief
19% Match

Devout Buddhists, Norbu and Dolma live with their young son Tashi in a clan in Tibet. Norbu is a highwayman. After Norbu is charged with stealing from the temple, he and his family are banished. Impoverished and marginalized, they can do little when their beloved son becomes ill. Tashi dies of a fever. After a second son is born, Norbu focuses his every action on keeping this child alive, seeking re-admission to the clan for his wife and child, then risking all to save them from isolation and starvation in winter.

The King and I
18% Match

Widowed Welsh mother Anna Leonowens becomes a governess and English tutor to the wives and many children of the stubborn King Mongkut of Siam. Anna and the King have a clash of personalities as she works to teach the royal family about the English language, customs and etiquette, and rushes to prepare a party for a group of European diplomats who must change their opinions about the King.

Corto Maltese: The Secret Court of the Arcane
17% Match

At the end of 1918 while civil war is raging on in Russia, antagonism is slowly spreading to the East, between the Oral mountains and Shanghai. Stuck between a desire to save what's left of the great Imperial Russia, and starting from a clean slate, old generals, secret organizations, and mercenaries attracted by gold, struggle to take advantage of the events. As Corto Maltese returns to Shanghai, he barely gets time to cross paths with his old friend/nemesis Rasputin, and escape a murder attempt before being contacted by members of a Chinese secret organization called "The Red Lanterns". In the heart of violent Manchurian horizons, Corto and Rasputin launch themselves into a fabulous treasure hunt, following the tracks of the mysterious armor-plated train of Kolchak. A steel monster spiked with canons and machine guns, this trains protects the counter-revolutionaries gold...

M. Butterfly
17% Match

In 1960s China, French diplomat Rene Gallimard falls in love with an opera singer, Song Liling – but Song is not at all who Gallimard thinks.

Red Corner
16% Match

Red Corner(1997)

Movie6.3/10

An American attorney on business in China, ends up wrongfully on trial for murder and his only key to innocence is a female defense lawyer from the country.

The Warrior
16% Match

In 1375, China was in chaos between Yuan Dynasty and Ming Dynasty. Coryo (an ancient kingdom of Korea then) sent a delegation of many diplomats, soldiers and a silent slave to make peace with the new Chinese government. However, this delegation got charged as spies and sent in exile to a remote desert.

Story of a Prostitute
16% Match

Volunteering as a "comfort woman" on the Manchurian front, where she is expected to service hundreds of soldiers, Harumi is commandeered by the brutal Lieutenant Narita but falls for the sensitive Mikami, Narita's direct subordinate. Seijun Suzuki's Story of a Prostitute is a tragic love story as well as a rule-bending take on a popular Taijiro Tamura novel, challenging military and fraternal codes of honor, as seen through Harumi's eyes.

55 Days at Peking
16% Match

Diplomats, soldiers and other representatives of a dozen nations fend off the siege of the International Compound in Peking during the 1900 Boxer Rebellion. The disparate interests unite for survival despite competing factions, overwhelming odds, delayed relief and tacit support of the Boxers by the Empress of China and her generals.