Arabic version: فيلم جديد يعيد تأطير قصة تنزينغ نورغاي على إيفرست

According to ABC News, Australian director and producer Jennifer Peedom’s new feature film Tenzing revisits the 1953 Mount Everest summit by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, placing greater focus on Norgay’s life and role in the historic climb.

Hillary and Norgay reached the world’s tallest mountain in May 1953, an achievement regarded as one of the 20th century’s greatest. Hillary received a knighthood, while Norgay was often portrayed as the Sherpa who accompanied and helped the climber rather than as an equal member of the team.

Peedom said the film explores how Norgay reached the starting line for the expedition. It follows his childhood in the high Himalayas, his spiritual and physical ambition to climb Chomolungma, the Tibetan name for Everest, and his efforts to overcome prejudice and tradition. Norgay’s son, Norbu Tenzing, endorsed the project and became its executive producer.

Three actors portray Norgay at different stages of his life: Samdrum Dorje Lama as a boy, Tenzin Dalha as a young man and Genden Phuntsok as the older mountaineer. Tom Hiddleston plays Hillary, while Willem Dafoe portrays British expedition leader Colonel John Hunt.

The production was filmed at high altitude in Nepal and at Aoraki/Mount Cook in New Zealand’s Southern Alps, which stood in for Everest’s peak. Peedom said the film’s screenplay and production choices were shaped through consultation with Sherpa community members and cultural advisers. Tenzing opens in select cinemas and on Apple TV+ on October 16.