Acclaimed director Mohammed Ali Naqvi’s (Netflix’s Turning Point, Showtime’s Shame, BBC’s The Accused: Damned or Devoted?) latest documentary feature, Hanging By A Wire, is the gripping true story of a daring cable car rescue that captivated the world.
On the morning of August 22, 2023, eight passengers — six of them schoolboys — board a makeshift cable car for what should be a routine commute to school in the mountains of northern Pakistan. Midway across a deep ravine, two of the three supporting cables snap. The gondola lurches violently and comes to rest, suspended more than 900 feet above the ground by a single damaged wire.
What follows unfolds in real time over the course of one harrowing day — a survival ordeal shaped by uncertainty, escalating danger, and the relentless pressure of being watched. The rescue plays out live on national television and social media, captured from every angle: panicked families on the ground, military helicopters battling high winds, first responders scrambling for solutions, drones circling overhead, and footage filmed from inside the cable car itself as hours pass and darkness approaches.
With no margin for error and a cable that could fail at any moment, an unlikely alliance of rescuers must improvise under intense public scrutiny — racing against an invisible clock before disaster strikes live on television.
“The ticking-clock tension will leave you breathless.” – Phil de Semlyen, Time Out
“The remarkable rescue scenes are all achieved against the odds, and their depiction fills the film with heart-in-the-mouth moments.” – Allan Hunter, Screen Daily
