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• Man on Wire is a documentary film selected for the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. It is about Philippe Petit and his illegal 1974 tightrope walk between the two towers of the World Trade Center. It won for Best Documentary Oscar in 2009 at 81st Academy Awards on February 22, 2009. .

• Fast Facts

  1. Release date: August 1, 2008IMDb: Man on Wire
  2. Director: James MarshIMDb: Man on Wire
  3. Based on the book To Reach the Clouds by Philippe PetitIMDb: Man on Wire
  4. Won the 2008 Sundance World Cinema Documentary film prizeIMDb: Man on Wire
  5. MPAA rating: PG-13

• Petit's Story

  Philippe Petit, born on August 13, 1949, performed on the streets of Paris before taking up tightrope walking.Time: High-Wire Act (July 24, 2008) On August 7, 1974, Petit walked 1,350 feet above the ground across a tightrope strung 130 feet between the two towers of the World Trade Center.New York: A Documentary Film: The Center of the World: Philippe Petit Petit walked across the rope for approximately 45 minutes.Gothamist: Philippe Petit, Man on Wire (July 24, 2008) Although Petit was arrested after coming down from the rope, he became an instant folk hero and charges against him were ultimately dropped.New York: A Documentary Film: The Center of the World: Philippe Petit

• Tightrope Trivia

  1. Tightrope walking is also called "funambulism"
  2. Ideal wire thickness: 21mmSimply Circus: Tight Wire
  3. Performed in thin slippers or barefoot
  4. The Russian town of Tsovkra-1 is known as the "World Tightrope Walking Center"Reuters: Russian village's tightrope walking prowess (August 30, 2007)
  5. Tightrope walking at extreme heights is known as "highwire act" or "skywalking"Time: High-Wire Act (July 24, 2008)

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