Mount Everest thriller Tenzing, starring Tom Hiddleston and Willem Dafoe, is set to open the 22nd edition of the Zurich Film Festival on September 24.
The Apple Original Films project, which is directed by Jennifer Peedom (Sherpa, Mountain), is based on a true story of Tenzing Norgay, played by Genden Phuntsok, a gifted mountaineer from the Himalayas who, together with New Zealand alpinist Edmund Hillary (Hiddleston), became the first person to reach the summit of Mount Everest, some 8,849 meters above sea level, in 1953.
Encouraged by his wife Dawa (Thinley Lhamo), Tenzing finds an ally in expedition secretary Jill Henderson (Caitríona Balfe). Together, they convince Colonel John Hunt (Willem Dafoe) that Tenzing should not merely serve the British expedition team but belong to it as a full-fledged member. While Western climbers regard Everest as a peak to be conquered, Tenzing reveres it as a sacred mother goddess. What follows is an ascent shaped as much by tensions of origin, class and conflicting ambitions as by the dangers of the mountain itself.
Both Hiddleston and Dafoe will be in attendance to launch the European premiere of the film at Zurich’s opening night.
“This year’s ZFF motto is ‘dream big’,” said Zurich Film Festival’s Christian Jungen in a statement. “Our breathtaking opening film Tenzing fits perfectly because it shows how you can grow beyond yourself when you have a big dream. We are proud that not one, but two Hollywood stars are coming to Zurich to present Tenzing together with acclaimed director Jennifer Peedom. The film offers a powerful emotion and mountain scenery of sublime beauty but it also carries an important message for our time: The first ascent of Mount Everest only succeeded because the climbers respected the local Sherpa people and the laws of nature.”
The Zurich Film Festival takes place September 24 to October 4, 2026.