Pakistan has selected "Hanging By a Wire," a documentary directed by Mo Naqvi, as its official entry for Best International Film at the Academy Awards. This marks the first time Pakistan has submitted a documentary to compete in that category.
The film is structured as an action thriller and documents a news event that drew international attention in 2023. Naqvi's nonfiction work captures the drama and suspense surrounding the event, treating documentary material with the pacing and tension typically associated with thriller narratives.
The selection represents a departure from Pakistan's previous Oscar submission strategy, which historically favored narrative features. By choosing a documentary this year, Pakistan's film selection committee signaled a shift in how the country approaches its Academy Awards entry.
"Hanging By a Wire" competes against entries from other nations in the Best International Feature Film category, one of the Academy Awards' most competitive divisions. The category draws submissions from film industries worldwide, with each country permitted one official entry per year.
Naqvi has established himself as a documentarian working in the nonfiction space. His choice to frame documentary events with thriller conventions positions "Hanging By a Wire" distinctly within the documentary landscape, blending factual reporting with cinematic storytelling techniques designed to sustain viewer engagement through suspenseful narrative construction.
The film's selection for Pakistan's Oscar entry brings visibility to both Naqvi's work and to Pakistani cinema on the international awards circuit. The documentary's submission represents an opportunity for the Academy to recognize nonfiction filmmaking from South Asia during awards season.