Sana Khalid 
Pakistan has announced Mohammed Ali Naqvi’s documentary Hanging by a Wire as its official entry for the Pakistan Oscars 2027 Best International Feature Film category at the 2027 Academy Awards. The selection is a milestone for Pakistani cinema as the film is the first documentary selected by Pakistan for the Oscars.
The film goes back to the dramatic cable car emergency in Battagram, northern Pakistan, in August 2023, when six schoolboys were left dangling hundreds of feet above a ravine after a cable snapped. The rescue operation garnered much attention across Pakistan and abroad.
Battagram Cable Car Rescue Revisited In Documentary
Hanging by a Wire revisits the emergency and the rescue effort that followed, using eyewitness footage, survivor testimony and cinematic reconstructions. The documentary additionally emphasises the efforts of rescuers working under the most difficult conditions, while capturing the uncertainty surrounding the stranded students.
The film, written and produced by Naqvi and Bilal Sami, had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. Its selection provides a worldwide platform for a true Pakistani story and sheds light on the people involved in one of the country’s most closely followed rescue missions.
Pakistan Cinema In International Oscar Spotlight
The Oscar nomination is a major international opportunity for Pakistani documentary filmmaking. The film narrates a story in northern Pakistan which links local experiences to themes of survival, courage and collective rescue that can resonate with audiences outside the country.
The film’s international distribution also takes it beyond the Oscar submission. The UK theatrical release is being handled by Dogwoof, Abramorama will release it in the US, and Paramount+ will stream the documentary from October 28, 2026.
The selection casts an international spotlight on the filmmaking community in Pakistan, and emphasises the power of documentary storytelling to bring important national stories to global audiences.
