Hanging by a Wire
★ Academy Award® Entry
Documentary · Directed by Mohammed Ali Naqvi
Selected as an official national entry for Best International Feature at the 99th Academy Awards®, Hanging by a Wire is a gripping documentary thriller — and one of the rare documentaries ever chosen in the category.
It recounts the real 2023 incident in the Himalayan foothills in which a cable-car wire snapped, leaving eight passengers — including six schoolchildren — suspended hundreds of feet above a ravine. Blending archival footage with dramatic reconstruction, the film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and went on to Sydney and Tribeca.
Streaming on Paramount+ beginning October 28, 2026.
South Stack Studios — Sponsor & Co-Executive Producer
Why we championed it.
What drew us to Hanging by a Wire was the agency of a community that knew how to use technology to raise awareness, the camaraderie at the heart of the rescue, and the film's portrayal of the women of that community with real agency. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that funds, mentors, and champions emerging South Asian filmmakers, South Stack Studios came aboard as Sponsor and Co-Executive Producer — and the film's selection as a national entry for Best International Feature is a milestone not just for the filmmakers, but for every creator who sees that these stories belong in the global conversation.
Carrying work like this from a festival premiere to the world's biggest stages is exactly what your support makes possible.