Tenzing to Premier in Theaters This October
September 16, 2026
At 29,032 feet, Mount Everest has long represented the ultimate test of human endurance. But in 1953, reaching the summit was about more than conquering the world’s highest mountain. It was about surviving one of the most dangerous environments on Earth—and for Tenzing Norgay, honoring a mountain regarded as sacred.
Directed by award-winning filmmaker Jennifer Peedom, Tenzing brings that historic expedition to the screen, telling the largely overlooked story of the Himalayan climber whose partnership with New Zealand mountaineer Edmund Hillary helped achieve one of mountaineering’s greatest milestones.
Genden Phuntsok portrays Tenzing Norgay, a gifted climber whose intimate knowledge of the Himalayas made him an invaluable member of the 1953 British Everest expedition. Tom Hiddleston portrays Hillary, while Willem Dafoe takes on the role of expedition leader Colonel John Hunt.
The film follows Tenzing’s fight for recognition as a climber rather than simply a Sherpa supporting the Western expedition members. Encouraged by his wife, Dawa (Thinley Lhamo), and with the help of expedition secretary Jill Henderson (Caitríona Balfe), Tenzing works to convince Hunt that he belongs on the summit team.
That struggle reflects a larger tension at the heart of the expedition. For many Western climbers, Everest represented an extraordinary physical challenge and a prize waiting to be claimed. For Tenzing, Chomolungma—the Tibetan name for Everest—was the sacred “Mother Goddess of the World.” The mountain demanded respect as much as strength.
The real 1953 expedition was the culmination of decades of failed attempts. Hunt’s team established a route through the treacherous Khumbu Icefall and up the Western Cwm before climbing toward the South Col. At extreme altitude, climbers faced freezing temperatures, violent weather, thin air and the constant danger of falls and avalanches.
The first summit team, Tom Bourdillon and Charles Evans, was forced to turn back after problems with Evans’ oxygen equipment. The second attempt fell to Hillary and Tenzing.
On May 29, 1953, the pair began their final ascent. Moving slowly through the thin air, they tackled the steep terrain leading to the summit, including the formidable rock formation now known as the Hillary Step. At approximately 11:30 a.m., Hillary and Tenzing stood together at the top of the world.
Their achievement quickly became an international sensation. Yet Tenzing looks beyond the iconic summit photograph to explore the human story behind it—the cultural differences, ambitions and inequalities that shaped the expedition, and the trust that ultimately united two climbers from very different worlds.
For Tenzing Norgay, reaching the summit was both the fulfillment of a lifelong dream and a deeply personal spiritual journey. For Hillary, it marked the culmination of years of mountaineering ambition.
Tenzing offers a cinematic look at the historic climb while placing Tenzing Norgay firmly at the center of a story that changed mountaineering forever, and is set to release in select theaters Oct. 9 and on Apple TV on October 16. Check out the official trailer below:
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