What if your daily ride to school suddenly left you hanging 900 feet above the ground — with just one cable keeping you alive?
That’s exactly what happened to eight people in Battagram’s Allai Valley in August 2023 — a terrifying real-life rescue operation that is now being brought to the big screen.
Titled Hanging By A Wire, the documentary explores the dramatic Battagram chairlift rescue, while also highlighting the region’s underdevelopment, poor infrastructure and, most importantly, the courage of its local people.
Speaking to Geo Digital, producer, director and writer M Ali Naqvi said he wanted to take the story of these local heroes to a global audience.
He added that it was the first time that local people and the administration came together to save the lives of eight people trapped in a chairlift. “This is an underdeveloped area, but the skill with which the locals carried out the rescue deserves immense appreciation,” Naqvi said.
He said the documentary is also an attempt to draw attention to the children who continue to rely on chairlifts to get to school.
“We want the system to become safer for these children. Through this film, we are also trying to work with NGOs on projects that can help improve the infrastructure,” he said.
Battagram chairlift rescue story to hit Pakistani cinemas this year
And there’s another fascinating element to the film — much of what audiences will see is original footage recorded during the actual incident.
According to Naqvi, some of the drone footage was captured by a local jewellery shop owner, Faisal, while other footage was recorded by residents who were documenting the unfolding rescue.
“They wanted their voices, their helplessness and their efforts to reach the world,” he said.
Producer and writer Bilal Sami told Geo Digital that stories about Pakistan’s unsung local heroes rarely receive international attention.
“That’s why M Ali Naqvi and I wanted to tell this story — so the world can see the people who represent the positive side of Pakistan,” he said.
