A new documentary from Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin tracks elite ski mountaineers Jim Morrison and Hilaree Nelson as they pursue a dangerous, rarely climbed line on Everest. The film premiered at Venice and opens in theaters and IMAX on Oct. 30.
The film follows Jim Morrison and Hilaree Nelson attempting the direct North Face of Everest, described in the trailer as climbed only five times and never skied.
Directed by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, the project is produced by Little Monster Films with National Geographic and Walt Disney Studios attached.
The documentary premiered at the Venice Film Festival and is scheduled to open in theaters and IMAX worldwide on October 30.
# What this film covers
Everest. The trailer states the North Face has been summited only five times and that no one has ever skied it. The film follows two elite ski mountaineers, Jim Morrison and Hilaree Nelson, as they try to achieve that goal.
# Who made the film
Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin directed the documentary. They are known for adventure filmmaking and previously made the Oscar-winning Free Solo. Their company Little Monster Films partnered with National Geographic and Walt Disney Studios on this project.
# The subjects and the objective
Jim Morrison and Hilaree Nelson are presented as experienced ski mountaineers with a shared dream: to climb and ski the North Face of Everest. The North Face is framed as one of the most difficult and dangerous climbs on the mountain and a highly coveted ski line. The film follows their preparation, ascent, and the attempt itself.
# Festival run and release plan
The documentary premiered at the Venice Film Festival. It is also screening at other festivals, including Telluride, Toronto, Camden International, and BFI. National Geographic and Walt Disney Studios announced a global theatrical and IMAX release on October 30.
The directors' previous work indicates a focus on high-risk, personal-story climbing films. The coverage and festival reviews referenced in related pieces describe the film as addressing grief, risk, and extreme ambition while documenting a technically demanding climb and a historic ski objective.
# Practical details
# Why readers might care
# Trailer and coverage
ABC7 included the trailer in its coverage and published an overview after the Venice premiere. Related festival reviews and writeups in outlets referenced the film's focus on danger, grief, and ambition alongside the technical challenge of the North Face.
# Bottom line
Geographic–backed documentary that follows Jim Morrison and Hilaree Nelson as they attempt the rarely climbed North Face of Everest with the added ambition of skiing it. It premiered at Venice and will be released in theaters and IMAX on October 30.
Venice: Haunted by tragedies this NatGeo doc never flinches at, Jim Morrison makes the dangerous attempt to climb up and ski down the Everest's North Face in another spellbinding chronicle from the Oscar-winning "Free Solo" team.
The information is widely known, integral to the plot, and discussed by the filmmakers in the film’s promotional material. On the festival run for “ The Shrouds ,” a personal musing on grief following the loss of his decades-long wife, Canadian auteur David Cronenberg mentioned how he often watches films when he wants
<img width="1024" height="712" src="https://unofficialnetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Screenshot-2026-09-04-at-13.18.46-1024x712.jpg" class="attachment-rss-image-size size-rss-image-size wp-post-image" alt="Everest: The Other Side" decoding="async" srcset="https://unofficialnetworks.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/
Shot in Nepal and set to debut at the Telluride Film Festival, Apple Original Films’ upcoming mountaineering drama Tenzing is based on the true events of Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary’s historic 1953 ascent of...
Las Vegas has added a fresh batch of concert and comedy events to its fall and winter entertainment calendar, from NFR week laughs and a holiday dance spectacular to a pop revival tour and an all-star comedy fiesta.
Ideas from the world of theater, music, museums, books, comedy, and performance art to fill your fall calendar.
Loading more related stories...
Open the app view to save this story, compare related coverage, and continue from the same source.