When Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay achieved what was previously thought impossible, summitting the world's tallest mountain, Mount Everest, in May 1953, it was considered one of the greatest achievements of the 20th century.
It brought them accolades and recognition and a knighthood for Hillary, but Norgay's legacy was often portrayed as the Sherpa who accompanied and helped rather than an integral and equal part of the climbing team.
The new film Tenzing, by Australian director and producer Jennifer Peedom aims to course-correct the famous historical event by diving deep into Norgay's life.
It includes his childhood in the high Himalayas, where his passion to climb Chomolungma (the Tibetan name for Everest) became not only a physical but a spiritual quest, and his persistence to overcome prejudice and tradition to achieve his goal.
A Himalayan connection
"It's as much the story of how Tenzing Norgay even came to be on the starting line, let alone climbing the mountain itself, and none of that had been documented in any way," said Peedom.
This is Peedom's first narrative film but the Canberra-born filmmaker has spent the last two decades working in the Himalayas and on Everest, making award-winning documentaries like Mountain and Sherpa.
Peedom spoke to ABC News about her love of mountains and its communities alongside two of the film's stars: Tom Hiddleston, who plays Hillary, and Willem Dafoe, who plays British expedition leader John Hunt.
"I trekked a lot as a kid in those very low mountains in the southern regions of New South Wales, but when I first went to the Himalayas 23 years ago, I was a young aspiring documentary filmmaker, and they just captured my imagination," she said.
Capturing Norgay's essence
Peedom also had an early endorsement of Tenzing's son Norbu Tenzing, who came on to the film as executive producer.
"We consulted closely with Sherpa community members and cultural advisers whose perspectives shaped both the screenplay and many of the choices I made," she said
In the film, Tenzing is portrayed by three actors at different stages of his life.
First, a boy herding yak with his family on the high Tibetan plateau in the shadow of his beloved mountain (played by Samdrum Dorje Lama, who was discovered in a local Nepalese school), then a young man determined to find his place in the rigid climbing community (played New Delhi-based actor Tenzin Dalha).
Finally, he is shown as a husband and father considered an experienced mountaineer but who still struggles as an outsider to be accepted as he quietly persists in achieving his ultimate goal.
The older Tenzing is played by Genden Phuntsok, a Chinese actor of Tibetan descent. Phuntsok portrays Tenzing with a firm integrity and warmth.
"We spent a lot of time looking for our Tenzing, and when I met Genden I immediately knew he was the one," said Peedom.
Not your average shoot
Key to the film is the bond Tenzing and Edmund Hillary form, both feeling like outsiders in the British-led expedition. Tom Hiddleston (who plays Hillary) said Peedom had a unique way to introduce the two actors before the shoot began.
"I arrived in Nepal, and within 12 hours, I was in a helicopter with a high-altitude medical specialist, and a doctor from the Khumbu Valley in the foothills of the Himalayas where all climbers and trackers begin any pilgrimage or journey to Everest base camp," said Hiddleston.
"That's where I met Genden. We had a cup of tea and we talked about the shared privilege and honour of carrying the duty and responsibility of representing the story of these two great men who changed history and made the impossible possible.
"For the next six days, we trekked and followed in the footsteps of Tenzing and Hillary all the way to as far as we could towards Everest base camp. Trekking six or seven hours a day. Climbing 500 to 1,000 metres a day.
There were no special effects, and Peedom filmed in high altitude, firstly in Nepal and then Aoraki/Mount Cook in New Zealand's Southern Alps, which stood in for Everest peak (beautifully shot by Australian cinematographer Stefan Duscio).
"I was so happy to be in the film," says co-star Willem Dafoe, who had previously voiced two of Peedom's documentaries, Mountain and River. He plays Colonel John Hunt, who was integral to the success of the climb, but started out as a rigid traditionalist determined to have two British men on the peak.
"When he starts out, there was some resistance to him. He knew that he had a mission to do," said Dafoe
"So there's a certain kind of discipline and rigidity in his approach, but then something happens through the actual doing that makes him have a shift of understanding, and for me that was very rewarding to play."
The 71-year-old actor joked that when it comes to the physicality of climbing mountains, he's still "a tough guy".
"Sure it was tough but we had such great people with us and they made it safe," said Dafoe.
"The rewards were so great, because the mountains are inspiring, and humbling, and powerful, and it's an experience I'll never forget."
