Filmmaker and author Mick Conefrey will present his BBC documentary The Race for Everest and lead a discussion following the screening on Thursday, Nov. 13, at 7:30 p.m., in the Taylor Science Center’s Kennedy Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public.
The Race for Everest tells the story of the Everest 1953 Expedition and how the combined effort of a team led by John Hunt put Ed Hillary and Tenzing on the summit in May 1953 just in time for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth. The gripping story is told by the surviving team members.
For the last 20 years Conefrey has worked mainly in television, principally for the BBC and most of the major British broadcasters and U.S. channels, including Discovery and the History Channel. He has made a variety of films, ranging from experimental documentaries such as Small Objects of Desire to the landmark series Icemen and Mountain Men. More recently Conefrey has worked with the Harvard philosopher Michael Sandel on Justice and has just made a biography of Lionel Bart.
Conefrey is particularly interested in films about exploration and mountaineering, and has filmed in the Alps, the Himalayas and Alaska. Several of his films have won international and British awards, at festivals such as Trento, Telluride, Banff and Kendal.
He is currently working on History Connections, a new series for Discovery. As a writer, Conefrey co-authored the BBC books Icemen and Mountain Men and has also written the books Everest 1953, The Adventurer’s Handbook and How to Climb Mont Blanc in a Skirt.
