Tenzing, Everest film centred on Tenzing Norgay, streams on Apple TV

Tenzing, a feature film about Tenzing Norgay, the Sherpa mountaineer who reached the summit of Mount Everest with Edmund Hillary, began streaming on Apple TV on October 16, 2026, a week after a limited cinema release on October 9. Directed by Australian filmmaker Jennifer Peedom from a script by Luke Davies, the film puts Tenzing rather than Hillary at the centre of the story. Genden Phuntsok plays Tenzing Norgay, Tom Hiddleston plays Hillary and Willem Dafoe plays expedition leader John Hunt.

For decades the first ascent of Everest has often been told as Hillary's story, with Tenzing Norgay as his companion. Tenzing reverses that. By building the film around the Sherpa climber's life, from his childhood to the summit, it joins a wider effort in film and writing to give the people of the Himalaya credit for achievements that were long framed through the eyes of Western expedition members. One review described the film as restoring a forgotten hero to the summit; another said it gives the mountaineering legend his due.

The choice of director is part of the story. Jennifer Peedom spent two decades making documentaries about the mountains and the people who work on them, including Sherpa, about the Sherpa guides on Everest. Her move into a drama about Tenzing Norgay continues that interest, and reviewers have praised the film's climbing scenes.

For audiences, the streaming release matters. A film that once might have reached viewers only in a few cinemas is now available to Apple TV subscribers in many countries at once. That gives a story rooted in the Himalaya a global audience, including viewers in South Asia. Reviews have been broadly positive, though some critics found the gentle, family-friendly tone and slow backstory scenes kept the film from being truly stirring.

Critics have singled out Genden Phuntsok's performance in the title role, with one review calling it the anchor of the film.

Tenzing at a glance Item | Detail Director | Jennifer Peedom Writer | Luke Davies Tenzing Norgay | Genden Phuntsok Edmund Hillary | Tom Hiddleston John Hunt | Willem Dafoe Release | cinemas October 9, 2026; Apple TV October 16, 2026

Short-term: The Apple TV release brings the film to a wide audience at once, and reviews and word of mouth over the coming weeks will decide how widely it is watched.

Long-term: If the film finds an audience, it may encourage more stories centred on Himalayan and South Asian figures, told with actors from those communities in the lead roles.

Who is affected: Viewers interested in mountaineering and history, Sherpa and Himalayan communities whose history the film portrays, the film's cast and crew, and streaming platforms competing for prestige dramas.

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