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The world watched with bated breath in August 2023 as a daring, high-altitude rescue operation unfolded in the rugged mountains of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Now, that gripping story is being brought to life in Hanging By A Wire, a real-life rescue thriller documentary currently in production and helmed by Emmy-nominated director Mohammad Ali Naqvi. The filmmaker is set to showcase exclusive footage from the documentary during Cannes Docs Week, part of the prestigious Marché du Film at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.

Naqvi announced the news via Instagram, sharing a Deadline report and calling the documentary “deeply personal”.

“A real-life thriller set in the mountains of Pakistan — where six schoolboys were left dangling 900 feet in the air, and an entire nation came together to pull off the impossible,” he wrote. He also credited his long-time collaborator and producing partner Bilal Sami and their production allies at EverWonder Studio and Mindhouse Productions, including names like Aloke Devichand, Arron Fellows, Louis Theroux, and Jon Adler.

The documentary recounts the harrowing incident that gripped global audiences. On an ordinary Tuesday morning, six schoolboys and two adults boarded a makeshift cable car to cross a treacherous valley en route to school.

Midway through their journey, two of the car’s supporting cables snapped — leaving the group suspended 900 feet above the ground for over 15 hours. What followed was a dramatic and complex rescue effort that involved helicopters, ziplines, local villagers, military commandos, and a relentless ticking clock.

According to a press release, Hanging By A Wire will offer “never-before-seen footage capturing multiple angles — which required helicopters, ziplines, and heroic efforts — plus first-hand accounts from the first responders and survivors who lived to tell their story.”

Naqvi said about the documentary’s cinematic feel, “I grew up devouring ‘90s action thrillers, and with Hanging By A Wire we’re giving that white-knuckle rush a documentary backbone. Every frame is real — six schoolboys, 900 feet in the air, a rescue clock ticking down — and that authenticity makes the stakes soar.”

This marks Naqvi’s latest addition to an acclaimed filmography that includes *Turning Point* (Netflix), Shame (Showtime), and the Emmy-nominated The Accused: Damned or Devoted?.

The upcoming documentary is co-produced with Sami, best known for David Blaine — Do Not Attempt (Disney+/Hulu) and Laal Kabootar, the breakout Pakistani crime thriller.

The harrowing ordeal highlighted the school accessibility crisis for many in Pakistan, with few high schools, poor roads, poverty and extreme weather hampering students’ ability to get to class.