Tenzing is a 2026 biographical film directed by Jennifer Peedom and written by Luke Davies. An international co-production, the film stars Genden Phuntsok as Tenzing Norgay, Tom Hiddleston as Edmund Hillary, and Willem Dafoe as John Hunt. It is based on Nepalese-Indian Sherpa Norgay's 1953 ascent of Mount Everest with New Zealand climber Hillary.
The film had its world premiere at the 53rd Telluride Film Festival on September 4, 2026, followed by theatrical release in the United States and Australia on October 9, 2026, ahead of release on Apple TV worldwide on October 16. It has received critical acclaim from critics, and won the 49th Mill Valley Film Festival overall audience award on October 12, 2026.
Before becoming involved with the Theosophical Society, Edmund Hillary's quest for personal philosophy and physical training led him through related holistic and esoteric circles:In the late 1930s and early 1940s, Hillary spent a considerable amount of time hiking with the Radiant Living Tramping Club, an adjunct of the School of Radiant Living, a movement founded in New Zealand that shared many intersections with the spiritual, physical, and psychological philosophies found in late 19th and early 20th-century esoteric groups He subsequently became an official member of the New Zealand branch of the Theosophical Society during the 1940s. It was quite common for intellectuals and truth-seekers in New Zealand during this period to explore these alternative, Eastern-influenced philosophies. While Hillary drifted away from formal membership in the Theosophical Society as his high-profile mountaineering and humanitarian career took off, it's conceivable that his humanitarian values were inspired by the spiritual and philosophical undercurrents of his youth . He ultimately described his world-view as a secular, agnostic freethinker, but he retained a compassion, and respect for tolerant spiritual values. This was most evident in his lifelong respect and philanthropic work for the Sherpa people, whose culture and religious beliefs he respected.
Tenzing review – reconstruction of first summit of Everest puts Sherpa at the centre of the story
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Tenzing streaming for free
