Sonthar Gyal (born 1974) is a Tibetan director from Tongde County in the Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Qinghai Province. Gyal studied at the Tsolho Nationalities Teachers College in Hainan Prefecture and taught in a nomadic community for four years. He then received a scholarship to study fine arts at Qinghai Normal University in Xining. After graduating in 2003 with a bachelor's degree in fine arts, he worked as an art teacher and curator at the Tongde Cultural Museum.

On the advice of his friend Pema Tseden, also from Hainan Prefecture, Gyal followed him to the prestigious Beijing Film Academy, where he studied cinematography for two years with the support of the Trace Foundation. After graduation, Gyal worked as a cinematographer and art director on a number of films and documentaries, many of which were shot by Tseden. His directorial debut came in 2011 with the film "The Sun-Beaten Path." — Wikipedia