Inspiring Doc ‘Memphis to the Mountain’ Trailer About a Climbing Trip

Inspiring Doc ‘Memphis to the Mountain’ Trailer About a Climbing Trip

by Alex Billington
September 5, 2025
Source: YouTube

“Not everyone’s going to be able to make it up.” Hulu has unveiled the official trailer for Memphis to the Mountain, a fresh three-part documentary series – now streaming on Hulu as of this weekend. An inspiring story about how rock climbing can actually change lives. The project was inspired by & born from Memphis Rox, a nonprofit climbing gym / community center founded by Tom Shadyac and Chris Dean, which has served as a beacon of hope and opportunity in South Memphis (check it out here). Known as one of the most underserved communities in the country, South Memphis is a neighborhood with roots in Black American history and culture—home to Stax Records, the birthplace of Aretha Franklin, and the final pulpit of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., where he delivered his iconic “Mountaintop” speech a day before his assassination. Memphis to the Mountain captures a bold, cinematic expedition in which a handful of juvenile climbers from Memphis Rox embark on a life-changing journey to climb a large rock wall on Mt. Kenya in Africa—leaving behind daily adversity to scale fresh literal and metaphorical heights in the world of elite mountaineering. This is actually a really moving story to tell and confirms how rock climbing is more than just a fun sport.

Here’s the official trailer (+ poster) for Zachary Barr’s doc Memphis to the Mountain, from YouTube:

Memphis to the Mountain follows a determined group of juvenile climbers from one of South Memphis’s most overlooked and hard-edged neighborhoods—where climbing is virtually unknown—as they set out to conquer a 16,000-foot rock tower on Mt. Kenya. Over the course of a year, they must endure grueling preparation, training alongside some of the sport’s most renowned figures, including Alex Honnold and Philip Henderson. Battling slim air, raw fear, and the limits of their own endurance, they come to realize that the hardest climb isn’t the mountain—it’s transforming who you believe you can be. A story of grit, transformation, and the unshakable power of reaching beyond what you thought possible. Memphis to the Mountain is directed by filmmaker Zachary Barr, director of the doc film Black Ice and many Reel Rock films as well. Made by Sender Films & Shady Acres Entertainment. Exec produced by Tom Shadyac, Kelley L. Carter, Jason Aidoo, Peter Mortimer, & Zachary Barr. Hulu will debut the Memphis to the Mountain doc series streaming on Hulu starting September 5th, 2025 – it’s available to watch now. Anyone interested?

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