Sawt Falasteen - In 'Tenzing', a Sherpa mountaineer gets his due

And it has taken far longer for the story of his feat to be memorialized in film.

"I don't know why it took so long to tell this story," said Jennifer Peedom, the director of the biographical drama "Tenzing."

"For me, it's always been the most interesting Everest story," she said in an interview with AFP.

The Apple TV film, which landed at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) after its world premiere at Telluride, recounts the first confirmed ascent to Everest's summit in 1953.

But it focuses on the journey from the perspective of Norgay, the Sherpa mountaineer who, together with Hillary, completed the climb that until then was deemed impossible.

Norgay's story was long overshadowed in previous accounts told from a Western perspective of the historic trip up the mountain, which measures 29,031.7 feet (8,848.86 meters).

The son of a yak herder, Norgay "had to overcome so much adversity just to get to the starting line on Everest, let alone to be the first man to reach the summit," said Peedom.

"It's one of the great achievements of the 20th century, and I wanted to put Tenzing as a protagonist of that story, of his own story."

Bringing the tale to the screen was not without its obstacles, said the filmmaker, whose own career began as a camera operator in the Himalayas.

"It was a process of earning trust over what turned out to be many years," said the Australian director, whose award-winning 2015 film "Sherpa" details the risky work done by the people who carry the equipment and supplies up Everest to make climbs possible for foreigners.

It was Peedom's direction that drew in the actor Willem Dafoe, who portrays Colonel John Hunt, the expedition's leader.

For the 71-year-old, the experience was an "adventure" -- not just because of the physical challenge, but because of the connection with nature.

And at its core, the film was an opportunity to give credit to a person who, along with overcoming enormous physical obstacles, faced classicism and exclusion.

It's "this kind of hangover from, you know, a colonial world, that this man was not considered," Dafoe told AFP.

"But in the end, he turned out to be the most capable, and he stuck to his guns," the actor continued.

"He wasn't discouraged, even though there were lots of impediments in this way."

- 'Spiritual message' -

Norgay took part in several failed Everest expeditions prior to joining the one led by Hunt.

Peedom's film portrays him as a man excluded from the Sherpa community over his Tibetan roots, who later faces discrimination from the British expedition for being a sherpa -- people then viewed not as climbers but as mere load-bearers.

Norgay attempts to prove his worth and earn a spot among the climbers, but is pushed aside for his background.

Among the film's most powerful lines comes when he deems that merit is not a signifier of "who is the best."

It's "who is the best of the British," replies a melancholy Hillary, who is played by Tom Hiddleston.

For Tenzin Dalha, a native of Lhasa who plays the young Norgay, the protagonist's lack of recognition came as a surprise.

"I wasn't aware that Tenzing was a footnote in the other parts of the world," he said.

"For us, he was the superstar."

Genden Phuntsok, an actor with Tibetan roots who plays Norgay as an adult, felt the weight of taking on such a leading role, but said he gained confidence with the direction of Peedom.

She suggested he approach the part step by step, he said.

Hiddleston meanwhile found inspiration in the "the faith and the fellowship" demonstrated by Hillary and Norgay.

Caitriona Balfe -- who plays Jill Henderson, Norgay's friend -- said she hopes the film will serve as an opportunity to reflect on tourism-driven exploitation of Everest, as well as connection to nature.

"I hope that people take away the more spiritual message from this movie, that it's not about conquering, but that it's about becoming one with something," she said.

O.Salim--SF-PST