The Pakistani film industry is one of the world’s most resilient, producing excellent stories and phenomenal performances despite the country’s lack of resources and infrastructure. This week, Variety announced the region’s selection of the documentary Hanging by a Wire as a submission for the international feature film category at the 99th Academy Awards. 

The film is directed by Mohammed Ali Naqvi (Mo Naqvi), who is the chairman of the Pakistan Oscar Selection Committee. He is also a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This is a major milestone in Lollywood’s history, since it marks the first time the country has selected a documentary thriller. 

Pakistan could not send an official Oscar selection last year due to administrative hurdles and documentation issues. Last year’s entry was Hundan – An Echo of a Dirge, but it couldn’t reach the official Academy’s headquarters before the deadline passed. Though Mo Naqvi had been in constant contact with the Academy, confusion arose because another feature film, Palestine 36, was thought to have incomplete paperwork. Hundan fell victim to coordination issues and miscommunication. 

However, this year marks a major change, and it’s a welcome one. The film tells the true story of the 2023 cable car incident in Battagram in northern Pakistan, in which eight passengers, including six schoolboys, were hanging in the air, roughly 900 feet above, while they were on their way to school. The rescue efforts were reported live across Pakistan and internationally. 

Hanging by a Wire debuted at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, and The Guardian reviewed the film positively, though it criticized it for not highlighting the underlying safety failures more clearly. The film sustains suspense through its footage-driven approach, turning a real-life tragedy into a gripping, universally resonant survival story. 

In an exclusive interview with Dawn, Naqvi opened up about his intention for making this film. He has always been fascinated with Pakistan’s geography despite spending his life moving between Pakistan and the United States. He wanted to show how people in a region almost cut off from formal infrastructure survive day to day. He never wanted to show the infrastructure problems, which the incident already shows blatantly; he wanted to avoid explaining Pakistan to Western audiences and dodge traditional documentary tropes. 

That approach also feels significant with Pakistan’s long Oscar history. Since 1959, Pakistan has submitted only 13 films without securing a nomination, with Saim Sadiq’s Joyland (2022) becoming the first Pakistani film to reach the shortlist in 2022. Pakistan’s uneven Oscar journey includes a striking 50-year hiatus between its second submission in 1963 and its next entry in 2013, highlighting the broader struggles faced by the country’s independent film industry. 

Even before making their mark at Cannes, films like Joyland faced immense backlash at home, including domestic bans. In contrast, Pakistani films have made an open declaration that they can reach international platforms like the Oscars, having won the Un Certain Regard Jury Prize and Queer Palm at Cannes. 

With Hanging by a Wire, Pakistan once again unshackles itself from the traditional boundaries of its cinema and embraces a more unconventional path to the Oscars despite a rocky road. This year’s choice is a broader reflection of what Pakistani cinema can represent on the international stage since it does not need fictionalized characters and stories to win global audiences. The reality of what happened is compelling enough to corroborate the expanding range of ambitious Pakistani filmmaking, loud and clear. 

EverWonder Studio, Universal Pictures Content Group, Mindhouse Productions, and 64th Street Media produced the film. Theatrical distribution rights in the UK are handled by Dogwoof, while Abramorama is overseeing the US theatrical release. 

The film is set for a streaming release on Paramount+ on October 28. 

Editorial Courtesy of Madiha Ali

Feature Image Courtesy of ‘Hanging by a Wire’ and Universal