Man on Wire is a 2008 British-American biographical documentary film directed by James Marsh . The film chronicles Philippe Petit’s 1974 high-wire walk between the Twin Towers of New York’s World Trade Center . It is based is Petit’s book, To Reach the Clouds , released in paperback with the title Man on Wire . The title of the film is taken from the police, which was last done for almost one hour. The film is crafted like a film , presenting rare footage of the preparations for the event and still photographs of the walk, alongside re-enactments (withPaul McGill as the young) and present-day interviews with the participants, including Barry Greenhouse, an insurance executive who served as the inside man. [4]
Man on Wire in the World Cinema Documentary Competition [5] at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival , where it won the Grand Jury Prize : World Cinema Documentary and the World Cinema Audience Award: Documentary. [6] In February 2009, the film won the BAFTA for Outstanding British Film, the Independent Spirit Awards , and the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature .