Black people taking an adventure in films, whether it be in fantasy films like the Harry Potter series , family films like The Goonies (1985), or on-the-road films like Stand By Me (1986), are almost non-existent. The running joke, as stated by mountaineer Phil Henderson within the opening moments of this film, is “we don’t do that.” Black people don’t attribute themselves to dangerous adventures, we don’t go into dangerous places; the overall reason behind such a self-limiting philosophy being because “that’s what white people do.” Arriving at Tribeca Film Festival with its world premiere, Justice A. Whitaker (Milestone Generations) and Rolake Bamgbose’s (Supreme Models) inspirational documentary, Full Circle: The First All Black Everest Ascent, challenges that notion and shines its light on the first all-Black team to climb Mount Everest. Led by Henderson himself, the documentary follows the “Full Circle Expeditions” team in the year 2022 as they push closer and closer to the summit, navigating the challenges of the climb itself, and rising above the limitations put upon them by society.
A scene from FULL CIRCLE: THE FIRST ALL BLACK EVEREST ASCENT. Photo courtesy of Tribeca Film Festival.
Executive produced by artist Moby and Lindsay Hicks via Little Walnut Productions (Black is Beautiful: The Kwame Brathwaite Story), Whitaker and Bamgbose’s documentary follows the crew from point A to point Z as they conquer their daring mission. The film follows them from initial landing to setting up camp to planning and migrating forth from there. As the film presents candid interviews with the members (including Rosemary Saal, Demond Mullins, and Fred Campbell), we get an inside look into their backgrounds, their challenges with being outcasts even within their own community, and the intricate training process. Henderson, a man who even looks at himself as an outcast (and proud of it), understands the gravity of this expedition. He knows that this expedition is really life or death for its adventurers and he understands that the “why” behind this mission is bigger than even his personal motivations. There is mention of how multiple generations of African-Americans have been robbed of the opportunity of any expedition simply because of the horrific Jim Crow laws.
A scene from FULL CIRCLE: THE FIRST ALL BLACK EVEREST ASCENT. Photo courtesy of Tribeca Film Festival.
Instead of the legal restrictions put upon by law, there is now societal shame being placed upon Black adventurers within their own community. A scene to note is when a couple of the adventurers are sitting around, telling stories of criticism they received back home by daring to travel a high mountaintop such as Everest. An adventurer mentions seeing an ignorant comment on Facebook stating that people are paying them to do such a dangerous task “because they’re Black” and it’s inconceivable that they would be doing this of their own free will. The adventurer then makes a counter-joke saying he chose the lesser of dangerous situations, stating he doesn’t wanna stay back home and “get blown away by the cops either.” Such a disturbing comeback has a sad truth to it: no matter where a Black man goes in the world, there’s always some level of danger that could possibly await us — even back home. Moments like this shed light on the complexity of Black life and are the reason why (at times) Ralph Ellison’s novel Invisible Man can feel like any Black person’s autobiography and why scenes in Get Out (2017) could feel like a documentary for any Black cinephile (no pun intended). The training sequences are very engaging, showing how there is a lot of care put into this dangerous expedition. We see various exercises, including walking across a ladder horizontally and climbing small mountains, done for participants to get a feel for how tricky and slippery the climb can be.
A scene from FULL CIRCLE: THE FIRST ALL BLACK EVEREST ASCENT. Photo courtesy of Tribeca Film Festival.
Whitaker and Bamgbose’s documentary doesn’t subvert the mold of what documentaries can be, but it presents its inspirational story the best way it can. The film gets us invested in the climbers’ lives as much as it gets us invested into their expedition. Not everyone makes it, however. Some climbers make it to the final expedition; some are turned away due to health reasons. There is victory even in failure — the guts to even approach a journey like this is notable within itself. There is a moment in the film in which the past and present gloriously come full circle — Martin Luther King Jr’s iconic final speech, “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop,” blares through speakers as the climbers attempt to do just that — climb one of the most iconic mountaintops ever. It’s a moment that runs the risk of being cheesy on paper but, within this documentary, it’s probably the film’s most inspiring moment. Full Circle is a notable documentary that shines a light on a brave group that simply dares to be daring, a group not just marginalized within the history of this expedition, but also from within their community … and a group that simply doesn’t let either stop them from achieving their goals.
Screened during Tribeca Film Festival 2026.
For more information, head to the official Tribeca Film Festival Full Circle: The First All Black Everest Ascent webpage.
Final Score: 3.5 out of 5.
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Categories: In Theaters, Reviews
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