By If you want to watch one film about Everest before your trek, watch Everest (2015), the Hollywood drama about the 1996 disaster. For the first ascent of 1953, watch the newest film, Tenzing (2026), directed by Jennifer Peedom, who also made the documentary Sherpa (2015), the one to add for the real mountain and its people. For the Bollywood take, watch Uunchai (2022), the only major Hindi film built around the trek to Everest Base Camp. Two more Indian titles are worth knowing: the Hindi film Poorna (2017) and the StarPlus TV serial Everest (2014 to 2015). This guide sorts the best Everest films by type, tells you what each one gets right, and shows how they compare with the trek to Base Camp.
Everest films at a glance
- Best drama: Everest (2015), based on the 1996 disaster.
- Newest film: Tenzing (2026), the first ascent of 1953 told from Tenzing Norgay’s side.
- Best documentary on Sherpas: Sherpa (2015).
- Best Bollywood film for trekkers: Uunchai (2022), friends and a Base Camp trek.
- Best Indian true story: Poorna (2017), a Hindi film about the youngest girl to climb Everest at the time.
- Best for history: The Wildest Dream (2010) and Beyond the Edge (2013).
- Reality check: the Base Camp trek ends at about 5,364 m. The summit is 8,848 m, and these films are mostly about climbing it.
Last checked: 29 October 2026. Release years and details come from the films’ public records and can be listed differently by region. Check streaming availability in your country.
Everest from Kala Patthar, the best viewpoint on the trek.
In this guide: Hollywood and international films | Bollywood and Indian titles | Documentaries | Watch plan | Film vs trek | FAQ
Which Everest film should you watch?
| If you want… | Watch | Type |
|---|---|---|
| A gripping disaster drama | Everest (2015) | Hollywood feature |
| The story behind the 1996 deaths | Into Thin Air: Death on Everest (1997) | TV movie |
| A big-screen view of the mountain | Everest (1998) | IMAX documentary |
| The first ascent told through Tenzing Norgay | Tenzing (2026) | Drama, Apple TV |
| The Sherpa side of Everest | Sherpa (2015) | Documentary |
| A Bollywood film about trekking to Base Camp | Uunchai (2022) | Hindi film |
| A story of an Indian girl on Everest | Poorna (2017) | Hindi film |
| An Indian TV drama set at Base Camp | Everest (2014 to 2015) | StarPlus TV serial |
| Early history of the mountain | The Wildest Dream (2010) | Documentary |
| The first ascent in 1953 | Beyond the Edge (2013) | Docudrama |
Hollywood and international films about Everest
Everest (2015)
Directed by Baltasar Kormákur, this drama tells the story of the 1996 disaster, when climbers from commercial expeditions were caught in a storm high on the mountain and eight people died on 10 and 11 May. Jason Clarke plays guide Rob Hall, Jake Gyllenhaal plays Scott Fischer, Josh Brolin plays Beck Weathers and Keira Knightley plays Jan Arnold. It is the most watched fictional film about Everest, and it is worth seeing on a large screen. Remember that it is a dramatisation: timing, dialogue and some details are shaped for the story.
Tenzing (2026)
Directed by Jennifer Peedom, who also made Sherpa, and written by Luke Davies, Tenzing is the newest major Everest film. It follows Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary on the first ascent of Everest in 1953 and focuses on class, background and ambition between the two men. Genden Phuntsok plays Tenzing Norgay, Tom Hiddleston plays Hillary, Willem Dafoe plays Colonel John Hunt and Caitríona Balfe plays Jill Henderson. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on 15 September 2026, opened in select US cinemas on 9 October and began streaming on Apple TV on 16 October 2026. It runs about 125 minutes. Filming began in May 2025 in Nepal, in Kathmandu and the Everest region, and finished in New Zealand. For a trekker it is the most useful drama to watch, because it puts a Sherpa climber at the centre of the story.
Into Thin Air: Death on Everest (1997)
A TV movie based on the 1996 events, made years before the 2015 film. It is useful if you want to compare how the same disaster was told in two different decades. The production is simpler, but it shows the crowding and decision-making problems that still matter on the mountain.
Everest (1998)
An IMAX documentary, narrated by Liam Neeson, filmed during an expedition in the 1996 season. It is the one to watch if you want the scale of the glacier, the ladders and the route, and it gives a feel for the Khumbu without any drama written in.
The Summit of the Gods (2021)
An animated film about climbing Everest, made in France. It is a mood piece rather than a guide, but its drawings of the Khumbu and the Everest ridges are striking.
Khangri: The Mountain (1996)
A Nepali film about the mountain, listed in popular-culture records. If you read Nepali or enjoy local cinema, it is the film that comes closest to the culture on the Everest trail.
Bollywood and Indian titles about Everest
Bollywood has made very few films about Everest itself. Mountain stories in Hindi cinema usually use the Himalaya as a backdrop. The best match for a trekker is Uunchai, and Everest has otherwise been told through one biopic and one TV serial.
Uunchai (2022)
Directed by Sooraj Barjatya and released on 11 November 2022, Uunchai is the Bollywood film closest to what you do on the trek. Friends in their later years dream of walking to Everest Base Camp together. When one of them, Bhupen (Danny Denzongpa), dies before they can go, the other three, played by Amitabh Bachchan, Anupam Kher and Boman Irani, set out with his ashes, with Parineeti Chopra as their trek guide. The story is about friendship and age rather than summit climbing, which makes it a better preview of a Base Camp trek than most mountaineering films. It is also a reminder that trekkers of many ages do the route, as long as they train and take time to acclimatise.
Poorna: Courage Has No Limit (2017)
Directed by Rahul Bose, who also acts in it, this Hindi film follows Malavath Poorna, a girl from a tribal family in Telangana, who reached the summit of Everest on 25 May 2014 aged 13 years and 11 months. Aditi Inamdar plays Poorna. The film has Hindi, Telugu and English dialogue and was released in India on 31 March 2017. It is a good family film to watch before an Everest region trek because it shows how young climbers are trained and selected.
Everest Base Camp in spring, the camp that appears in many films.
Everest, the StarPlus TV serial (2014 to 2015)
Created by Ashutosh Gowariker, with music by A. R. Rahman, this Hindi serial ran for 102 episodes on StarPlus from 3 November 2014 to 1 March 2015. It follows Anjali, who trains at a mountaineering institute in Uttarkashi and joins an Everest expedition. It is a drama, not a documentary, and it was filmed in India and Nepal, including at Everest Base Camp. If you are in the Indian market for a first Himalaya trek, it is an easy way to see what the setting looks like.
Documentaries worth watching before your trek
| Title | Year | What it covers | Why watch it |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Epic of Everest | 1924 film, restored 2013 | The 1924 British expedition | Oldest footage of the mountain |
| The Man Who Skied Down Everest | 1975 | Yuichiro Miura’s 1970 descent | A very different view of the slopes |
| The Wildest Dream | 2010 | George Mallory and the 1924 expedition | Mountain history |
| Beyond the Edge | 2013 | The 1953 British expedition | The first ascent |
| Keeper of the Mountains | 2013 | Elizabeth Hawley, Himalayan chronicler | How records are kept |
| Sherpa | 2015 | Sherpa climbing workers on Everest | The human side of the season |
For a trek, watch Sherpa first. It shows the people who fix ropes, carry loads and rescue climbers, and it makes the lodges and porters you meet on the trail much more meaningful. See our notes on the Everest Base Camp trek and what to expect each day.
A simple watch plan before your trek
Films are a good way to build excitement, but they also set wrong expectations. This order moves from culture to scenery to story, so you arrive curious and realistic.
| When | Watch | What it prepares you for |
|---|---|---|
| 8 weeks before | Sherpa (2015) | The people, loads and risks behind every Everest season |
| 7 weeks before | Tenzing (2026) | The first ascent, and the Sherpa and Himalayan side of the story |
| 6 weeks before | Uunchai (2022) | The emotional side of a Base Camp trek, at any age |
| 4 weeks before | Everest (1998) IMAX | The scale of the glacier and the valley |
| 2 weeks before | Poorna (2017) | How training and selection work for young climbers |
| Last week | Everest (2015) | The summit story, then put it aside and focus on your own pace |
What each film really teaches a trekker
| Film | Useful for a trekker | Do not copy |
|---|---|---|
| Tenzing | The first ascent depended on teamwork and local knowledge | Reading it as only a Western story |
| Everest (2015) | Weather can turn fast, and turning back early is a skill | Pushing for a summit past a safe time |
| Sherpa | Teahouses, porters and guides are real people with real risk | Treating trail staff as scenery |
| Uunchai | Friends can carry each other through a long, slow walk | Skipping acclimatisation days to save time |
| Poorna | Training builds confidence step by step | Starting with no preparation |
| Everest (1998) | The route and glacier are huge | Expecting the same views from the trek |
Namche Bazaar, where many Everest stories begin.
Can older trekkers do it, like in Uunchai?
Yes, many older trekkers walk to Everest Base Camp, but the film leaves out the preparation. Plan 12 to 14 days, build leg strength and cardio for 8 to 12 weeks, and take every rest day. Read our guide for kids, seniors, solo women and first-timers and the first-time trekker’s guide.
Film vs real trek: what is different?
| In films | On the Base Camp trek |
|---|---|
| Climbers push for the 8,848 m summit | The trek ends at Base Camp (about 5,364 m) and Kala Patthar (about 5,545 m) |
| Teams cross the Khumbu Icefall with ladders | Trekkers do not cross it; you see the glacier from the trail |
| Storms and oxygen are central | Altitude sickness is the main risk; read the altitude sickness guide |
| Tents everywhere | Trekkers sleep in teahouses; the tent city appears in spring for climbing teams |
| Films compress the walk into a few scenes | A real trek has about 12 to 14 days of walking, rest days and teahouse nights |
| Months of acclimatisation | About 12 to 14 days of trekking for the standard route |
Helicopters fly the valley all season, as in many films.
The trek is a different experience from the movies, and it is open to anyone with good fitness. Prepare with training for Everest Base Camp and pack with the packing checklist. If you want the photo spots from the trail, see 15 must-click Everest Base Camp photos.
FAQ
What is the best movie about Mount Everest? Everest (2015) is the best-known drama, and Sherpa (2015) is the best documentary for understanding the mountain’s people.
Is Everest (2015) a true story? It is based on the 1996 disaster on Everest. Events and dialogue were dramatised for the film.
Is there a Bollywood movie on Mount Everest? Uunchai (2022) is the main Hindi film about trekking to Everest Base Camp. Poorna (2017) is a Hindi film about Malavath Poorna, who reached the summit in May 2014 aged 13. There is also the Hindi TV serial Everest (2014 to 2015).
What is Uunchai about? Friends in their later years plan to trek to Everest Base Camp. After one dies, the other three take his ashes there. Amitabh Bachchan, Anupam Kher and Boman Irani star, with Parineeti Chopra as the guide.
Is the Uunchai trek realistic? The destination is real: Everest Base Camp is a trek, not a climb. The film compresses the days, so plan 12 to 14 days with rest days. Older trekkers can do it with training and a slow pace.
Who made the Hindi serial Everest? Ashutosh Gowariker created it, and it aired on StarPlus with music by A. R. Rahman.
Who is in Tenzing, and where can I watch it? Genden Phuntsok plays Tenzing Norgay and Tom Hiddleston plays Edmund Hillary. Apple TV distributes the film worldwide, and it began streaming on 16 October 2026.
Which documentary shows the Sherpa side of Everest? Sherpa (2015) follows Sherpa climbing workers during an Everest season.
Which film shows the first ascent of Everest? Tenzing (2026) is the newest drama about the 1953 ascent by Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary. Beyond the Edge (2013) covers the same British expedition as a docudrama.
Which film is best before an Everest Base Camp trek? Everest (1998) for the scenery, Sherpa for the culture and Everest (2015) for the story. None of them show the trekking route in detail.
Do these films show the Base Camp trek? Not really. They focus on climbing the summit. The Base Camp trek ends far below the dangerous sections.
How long is the Everest Base Camp trek? Our package is 14 days from Kathmandu, including flights to and from Lukla. See the trek page for the current price.
See the mountain yourself with Base Camp Hikes
Walk the route the films only glimpse on our Everest Base Camp trek. For a quote, message the team on WhatsApp or phone at +91 932 595 1234 (9 am to 7 pm IST), write to info@basecamphikes.com, or use the enquiry form.
