The Zurich Film Festival has moved its entire opening ceremony to the summit of Mount Everest, where Tom Hiddleston's thriller «Tenzing» will premiere at an altitude of 8,849 meters, with oxygen tanks replacing champagne flutes and yak-hide parkas substituting for tuxedos.
Festival director Christian Jungen confirmed that all 1,200 invited guests, including Willem Dafoe and director Jennifer Peedom, will begin their ascent on September 20, carrying projectors, a 12-meter-wide screen, and 400 kilograms of fondue for the after-party. «The red carpet will be laid across the South Col,» Jungen said, «and the press conference will be held in Camp IV, where journalists can file their reviews before the altitude sickness sets in.»
The festival has hired 300 Sherpas to haul the seating, a Dolby Atmos sound system, and a generator powered by bottled oxygen. Climbers will be required to watch the film in three acts, with a 40-minute acclimatization break between each. «We considered the traditional venue, but the summit offers unparalleled dramatic lighting,» said Jungen, «and the thin air ensures no one falls asleep during the second act.»
Critics have been issued supplemental oxygen and are instructed to write their reviews in pencil, as ink freezes at minus 40 degrees. The festival will conclude with a screening of «Mountain» at Base Camp, where attendees will be served instant noodles and encouraged to use the icefall as a natural amphitheater. «This is the future of cinema,» Jungen added, «where the only thing more breathtaking than the film is the view.»