The mountains have always been and will remain a fascinating backdrop for filmmakers.
I have compiled a list of 23 documentaries and 22 movies from the last 70 years for your enjoyment. More than half of the movies were inspired by real events.
From icy alpine climbs to free solo rock climb, be ready to be inspired and terrified at the same time!
On a side note, I did not realize how many films have been made about Mount Everest until now. Want to guess how many there are on this list? Read on to find out!
Let the binge-watching begin!
23 Documentaries
1. Free Solo (2018)
On screen: El Capitan, USA
Directed by: Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin
Running time: 96 minutes
Summary:
Documentary about rock climber Alex Honnold’s quest to set a record for the first free solo climb of El Capitan in 2017. El Capitan is a 3,000 feet (900 meters) high rock wall in Yosemite.
| Check out these 56 Highest Mountains To Climb in the US for Beginners. |
2. Mountain (2017)
On screen: various mountains
Directed by: Jennifer Peedom
Running time: 74 minutes
Summary:
Documentary about the highest mountains and peaks around the world. It shows the evolution of mountain climbing over the years. The documentary also features exhilarating climbs, various mountaineering sports, and beautiful cinematography.
3. The Park (2017)
On screen: Rocky Mountain National Park, USA
Directed by: John Dickey
Running time: 23 minutes
Summary:
Documentary about climbing Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park in winter. The conditions are harsh due to the combination of rocky and icy terrains.
It showcases 7 years of climbing footage of renowned climbers.
4. Brave New Wild (2016)
On screen: El Capitan, USA
Directed by: Oakley Anderson-Moore
Running time: 76 minutes
Summary:
Documentary showing the golden age of rock climbing in the USA. This was the period before and after the ascent of the Dawn Wall of El Capitan in 1970.
Anderson-Moore, the daughter of a pioneering climber Mark Moore, directed this documentary. It documents her journey to find the allures behind this adrenaline sport.
5. Sherpa (2015)
On screen: Mount Everest, Nepal
Directed by: Jennifer Peedom
Running time: 90 minutes
Summary:
Documentary about Phurba Tashi, a Sherpa who assists expedition climbs on Mount Everest. Tashi has made 21 Mount Everest ascents. He also holds the record for the most number of ascents of eight-thousanders (30).
The documentary gives us a glimpse into Tashi’s personal life, the Sherpa culture and the work they do for mountain expeditions. It also captures the aftermath of the 2014 Mount Everest ice avalanche.
| Check out these 74 Highest Mountains To Climb in Asia for Beginners. |
6. K2 And The Invisible Footmen (2015)
On screen: K2, border of Pakistan and China
Directed by: Iara Lee
Running time: 54 minutes
Summary:
Documentary about Pakistani porters and Nepalese sherpas who assists expedition climbs on K2. It shows the lives, cultures, and traditions of Pakistani.
It also features the first official all-Pakistani climbing team who summited K2 in 2014. The team consists of former porters.
7. Meru (2015)
On screen: Meru Peak, India
Directed by: Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi
Running time: 87 minutes
Summary:
Documentary about a group of climbers summiting the 4,000 feet (1,200 meters) Shark’s Fin wall on Meru in 2011. The group had previously attempted the climb in 2008 but failed to complete it.
Climbers include Conrad Anker, director Jimmy Chin, and Renan Ozturk. The documentary features both the 2008 and 2011 attempts.
8. Beyond The Heights (2015)
On screen: Mount Everest, Nepal
Directed by: Jawad Sharif
Running time: 47 minutes
Summary:
Documentary about 21-year-old Samina Baig and her brother Mirza Ali Baig.
In 2013, Samina became the first Pakistani woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest. Mirza became the youngest Pakistani man to conquer Everest at 29 years old.
9. Beyond The Edge (2013)
On screen: Mount Everest, Nepal
Directed by: Leanne Pooley
Running time: 93 minutes
Summary:
Documentary about the first successful expedition to the peak of Mount Everest. Edmund Hillary and Sherpa, Tenzing Norgay conquered the summit in 1953.
It features original footage from the expedition and dramatized recreations.
10. The Summit (2012)
On screen: K2, border of Pakistan and China
Directed by: Nick Ryan
Running time: 95 minutes
Summary:
Documentary about the 2008 K2 disaster. It was one of the worst catastrophes in climbing history where 11 climbers died.
The documentary includes actual footage of the event and some dramatized recreations.
11. High Ground (2012)
On screen: Lobuche East, Nepal
Directed by: Mike Brown
Running time: 92 minutes
Summary:
Documentary about 11 combat veterans who had served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Each of them suffered from physical and emotional injuries. They set off to conquer Lobuche East in 2010 as part of their recovery process.
The expedition is led by Erik Weihenmayer, the first blind man to summit Mount Everest.
The documentary also features interviews with the veterans. They discuss the challenges of returning to civilian lives.
12. K2: Siren Of Himalayas (2012)
On screen: K2, border of Pakistan and China
Directed by: Dave Ohlson
Running time: 75 minutes
Summary:
Documentary about a group of climbers summiting K2 in 2009. 2009 is the 100 year anniversary of an Italian expedition led by Luigi Amedeo di Savoia, the Duke of Abruzzi.
The expedition reached the base of K2 on the south side. They also climbed the South East Ridge (now known as the Abruzzi Spur) to a height of 20,500 feet (6,250 meters).
The climbers include Austrian mountaineer Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner, Fabrizio Zangrilli, Jake Meyer and Chris Szymiec.
The documentary also features archival footage, written commentary and vintage photos from the Duke’s century-old summit attempt.
13. Cold (2011)
On screen: Gasherbrum II, border of Pakistan and China
Directed by: Anson Fogel
Running time: 20 minutes
Summary:
Documentary about the first successful summit of Gasherbrum II in winter. Climbers Simone Moro, Denis Urubko and Cory Richards completed the climb in 2011.
Richards filmed the documentary and features the climb from his perspective.
16 expeditions have failed in their previous attempts.
14. 180 Degrees South: Conquerors of the Useless (2010)
On screen: Corcovado Volcano, Chile
Directed by: Chris Malloy
Running time: 85 minutes
Summary:
Documentary about Jeff Johnson’s journey from Ventura, California to Patagonia, Chile. He is retracing a trip undertaken by Yvon Chouinard and Doug Tompkins in 1968.
He then sets off to make climbing the Corcovado Volcano in Patagonia as his life goal.
| Check out these 20 Highest Mountains To Climb in South America for Beginners. |
15. The Wildest Dream: Conquest Of Everest (2010)
On screen: Mount Everest, Nepal
Directed by: Anthony Geffen
Running time: 94 minutes
Summary:
Documentary on the disappearance of British climber George Mallory and Andrew Irvine on Mount Everest in 1924.
It features climber Conrad Anker who discovered Mallory’s body in Everest in 1999. Anker returned to Everest to investigate the disappearance.
The documentary also includes a biography of Mallory.
16. Mount St. Elias (2009)
On screen: Mount Saint Elias, border of Canada and USA
Directed by: Gerald Salmina
Running time: 100 minutes
Summary:
Documentary about Austria mountaineers, Axel Naglich and Peter Ressmann and American John Johnston.
In 2007, they climbed to the top of Mount Saint Elias. They then set out to complete the longest vertical descent ever attempted on skis.
17. The Alps (2007)
On screen: Eiger, Switzerland
Directed by: Stephen Judson
Running time: 51 minutes
Summary:
Documentary about the 2005 climb of the north face of the Eiger by John Harlin III. John Harlin III is te son of John Harlin who died on the same ascent 40 years earlier.
| Check out these 56 Highest Mountains To Climb in Europe for Beginners. |
18. To The Limit (2007)
Original Title: Am Limit
On screen: El Capitan, USA
Directed by: Pepe Danquart
Running time: 95 minutes
Summary:
Documentary about brothers Alexander Huber and Thomas Huber. They attempted to break the speed record for climbing the El Capitan rock formation in Yosemite National Park in 2007.
19. Blindsight (2006)
On screen: Lhakpa Ri, Tibet
Directed by: Lucy Walker
Running time: 104 minutes
Summary:
Documentary about 6 blind Tibetan teenagers attempting to climb Lhakpa Ri in 2004. Their expedition leader was famed blind mountain climber Erik Weihenmayer.
Sabriye Tenberken, a blind German social worker, helped make this journey possible.
20. Everest (1998)
On screen: Mount Everest, Nepal
Directed by: Greg MacGillivray and David Breashears
Running time: 45 minutes
Summary:
Documentary about the challenges of climbing the tallest mountain on earth. Climbers face hazards such as avalanches, blizzards, and oxygen deprivation. It features the training preparation required for the climb.
The documentary follows the climbing team led by Ed Viesturs in 1996. The list of climbers includes director David Breashears, Spanish climber Araceli Segarra, and Jamling Tenzing Norgay. Jamling is the son of pioneering Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay.
The documentary also discusses the 1996 Mount Everest disaster.
21. The Dark Glow of the Mountains (1985)
Original Title: Gasherbrum — Der Leuchtende Berg
On screen: Gasherbrum I (K5) and Gasherbrum II (K4), border of Pakistan and China
Directed by: Werner Herzog
Running time: 45 minutes
Summary:
Documentary about freestyle Italian mountain climbers Reinhold Messner and Hans Kammerlander. It follows their 1984 climbs on Gasherbrum I and Gasherbrum II. The climbs were done without any supplemental oxygen.
The documentary seeks to uncover the motivation behind their climbs.
22. The Man Who Skied Down Everest (1975)
On screen: Mount Everest, Nepal
Directed by: Bruce Nyznik and Lawrence Schiller
Running time: 86 minutes
Summary:
Documentary about Yuichiro Miura, a Japanese alpinist who trekked through the Himalayas to ski down Mount Everest in 1970.
The ski was part of The Japanese Everest Skiing Expedition 1970. Six members of this expedition died.
23. The Conquest Of Everest (1958)
On screen: Mount Everest, Nepal
Directed by: George Lowe
Running time: 78 minutes
Summary:
Documentary about the first successful expedition to the peak of Mount Everest. Edmund Hillary and Sherpa, Tenzing Norgay conquered the summit in 1953.
The documentary shows how climbers acclimatize and prepare for the summit.
It also features the history of Mount Everest and earlier climbing expeditions.
22 Movies Inspired By Real Events
24. The Climb (2017)
Original Title: L’ascension
On screen: Mount Everest, Nepal
Directed by: Ludovic Bernard
Running time: 103 minutes
Summary:
Movie based on real-life story of Nadir Dendoune who decides to climb Mount Everest to show his love for a woman. He has no mountaineering experience and became the first French-Algerian to climb Everest in 2003.
25. Everest (2015)
On screen: Mount Everest, Nepal
Directed by: Baltasar Kormákur
Running time: 121 minutes
Summary:
The movie is adapted from Beck Weathers’ memoir Left for Dead: My Journey Home from Everest.
It is based on the 1996 Mount Everest disaster. It follows the climbing teams led by summit guides Rob Hall and Scott Fischer.
26. The Himalayas (2015)
Original Title: 히말라야 (Himallaya)
On screen: various mountains
Directed by: Lee Seok-hoon
Running time: 124 minutes
Summary:
Movie based on the true life of South Korean climber Um Hong-gil. It features his relationship with 2 younger climbers Park Moo-taek and Park Jeong-Bok.
The movie shows how the climbers met, the mentoring relationship that developed and the eventual demise of Park and Park.
27. Nanga Parbat (2010)
On screen: Nanga Parbat, Pakistan
Directed by: Joseph Vilsmaier
Running time: 104 minutes
Summary:
Movie about the tragic climb on Nanga Parbat by two brothers, Reinhold and Günther Messner in 1970. Younger bother Günther Messner died in the expedition.
It features the childhood events of both brothers, their journey into climbing and the fateful expedition.
28. 127 Hours (2010)
On screen: Blue John Canyon, USA
Directed by: Danny Boyle
Running time: 93 minutes
Summary:
The movie was based on Aron Ralston’s memoir Between a Rock and a Hard Place.
It tells the story of how Ralston was trapped by a boulder in an isolated canyon in Blue John Canyon and how he eventually escaped.
29. North Face (2008)
Original Title: Nordwand
On screen: Eiger, Switzerland
Directed by: Philipp Stölzl
Running time: 121 minutes
Summary:
The movie was based on the true events of the unsuccessful attempt to scale the north face of the Eiger in 1936.
Two German climbers, Toni Kurz, and Andi Hinterstoisse, were competing to conquer this last major unclimbed Alpine face.
30. The Beckoning Silence (2007)
On screen: Eiger, Switzerland
Directed by: Louise Osmond
Running time: 75 minutes
Summary:
Movie shows the unsuccessful attempt to scale the north face of the Eiger in 1936 by a team led by Toni Kurz. The movie features Joe Simpson whose book of the same name inspired the movie.
31. Touching The Void (2003)
On screen: Siula Grande, Peru
Directed by: Kevin MacDonald
Running time: 106 minutes
Summary:
The movie was based on Joe Simpson’s book of the same name.
The movie features Joe Simpson’s and Simon Yates’s disastrous climb of the unclimbed West Face of Siula Grande in 1985.
32. Seven Years In Tibet (1997)
On screen: various mountains
Directed by: Jean-Jacques Annaud
Running time: 136 minutes
Summary:
The movie was based on Heinrich Harrer’s book of the same name.
The movie features Harrer, an Austrian mountain climber who became friends with the Dalai Lama. This was at the time of China’s takeover of Tibet. Harrer was imprisoned during the war and escaped into Tibet through the Himalayas.
33. Into Thin Air: Death On Everest (1997)
On screen: Mount Everest, Nepal
Directed by: Robert Markowitz
Running time: 90 minutes
Summary:
The movie was based on Jon Krakauer’s book, Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster.
It showcases the 1996 Mount Everest disasters and the events leading up to it. The movie follows the climbing teams led by summit guides Rob Hall and Scott Fischer.
34. Alive (1993)
On screen: Andes, South America
Directed by: Frank Marshall
Running time: 120 minutes
Summary:
The movie was based on Piers Paul Read’s book Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors.
The movie features the Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571’s crash into the Andes mountains in 1972. The Uruguayan rugby team was aboard the flight. The movie shows how they fought to survive after the crash.
35. The Climb (1986)
On screen: Nanga Parbat, Pakistan
Directed by: Donald Shebib
Running time: minutes
Summary:
The movie was based on the true events of the very first successful summit of Nanga Parbat in 1953.
The climb was a German expedition led by Karl Herrligkoffer and includes Austrian mountaineer Hermann Buhl.
10 Fictional Movies
36. A Lonely Place to Die (2011)
On screen: Highlands, Scotland
Directed by: Julian Gilbey
Running time: 99 minutes
Summary:
A movie about a group of mountaineers in the Scottish Highlands. They discovered a kidnapped girl and end up pursued by her captors.
37. High Lane (2009)
Original Title: Vertige
On screen: unknown mountain in Croatia
Directed by: Abel Ferry
Running time: 90 minutes
Summary:
A horror film about a group of friends who embarked on a climb up a mountain that’s closed for repairs. They soon find out that they are not alone.
38. Vertical Limit (2000)
On screen: K2, border of Pakistan and China
Directed by: Martin Campbell
Running time: 124 minutes
Summary:
Movie about a climber must rescue his sister who was on an expedition to the top of K2.
39. Cliffhanger (1993)
On screen: Rocky Mountains, North America
Directed by: Renny Harlin
Running time: 113 minutes
Summary:
After a heist on a plane goes wrong, suitcases full of cash are being scattered throughout the Rocky Mountains. Groups of people embark their own expeditions to retrieve the cash for themselves.
| Check out these 27 Highest Mountains To Climb in North America for Beginners. |
40. Scream Of Stone (1991)
Original Title: Cerro Torre: Schrei aus Stein
On screen: Cerro Torre, border of Argentina and Chile
Directed by: Werner Herzog
Running time: 105 minutes
Summary:
Movie about a young climber who grows to become a celebrity in the mountain climbing community and the media.
The movie draws elements from the first conquest of the summit of Cerro Torre in 1959. Italian climbers Cesare Maestri and Austrian Toni Egger reached the summit but died during the descent.
41. K2 (1991)
On screen: K2, border of Pakistan and China
Directed by: Franc Roddam
Running time: 104 minutes
Summary:
Movie about a climbing team from the USA, funded by a millionaire, preparing to conquer K2. It is loosely based on the story of Jim Wickwire and Louis Reichardt, the first Americans to summit K2.
42. The Eiger Sanction (1975)
On screen: various mountains
Directed by: Clint Eastwood
Running time: 129 minutes
Summary:
A movie about a professional assassin who is forced out of retirement to avenge the murder of an old friend.
43. Third Man On The Mountain (1959)
On screen: finctional mountain in The Alps
Directed by: Ken Annakin
Running time: 105 minutes
Summary:
The movie was based on James Ramsey Ullman’s fiction novel Banner in the Sky.
It shows a boy’s attempts to realize his father’s dream of climbing an alpine peak known as the Citadel. His father died during the attempted climb.
44. The Mountain (1956)
On screen: Mount Blanc, border of Italy and France
Directed by: Edward Dmytryk
Running time: 105 minutes
Summary:
Movie about a man who plans to climb to the top of Mont Blanc to rob the victims of a plane crash. He pressurizes his brother, a skilled retired mountain climber, to go with him.
45. The White Tower (1950)
On screen: fictional mountain in The Alps
Directed by: Ted Tetzlaff
Running time: minutes
Summary:
The movie was based on James Ramsey Ullman’s fiction novel of the same name.
It shows a woman determined to fulfill her father’s dream by conquering the mountain that killed him. She assembles a team of people to conquer The White Tower, which no one has summited successfully.
Number Of Films Made About Mount Everest
Did you guess how many Mount Everest films were on this list?
Answer: 10!
Bonus Films
If you are itching for more, check out the films featured by Reel Rock Film Tour. Reel Rock Film Tour is a traveling film festival. It highlights a new compilation of outdoor adventure films every year.
2018 is the 13th year of this film tour. Check out the latest films here.