Our Man in Tehran

A documentary that chronicles the true story behind Argo’s Hollywood embellishments by looking at the efforts of the venerable Ken Taylor, Canada’s former ambassador to Iran, who personally sheltered six American diplomats in the operation that became known as "the Canadian Caper. "Ben Affleck's Argo (2012) — the big winner at this year's Academy Awards, and a big hit when it premiered at last year's Festival — rekindled public awareness of Canada's pivotal role in the rescue of US diplomats during the 1979 Iran hostage crisis. The film paid homage to the valiant efforts made by then-ambassador Ken Taylor, as well as his wife and colleagues, to provide a safe haven and counterfeit documents to the six Americans who clandestinely made it out of Tehran unscathed. But Argo was entertainment first and foremost — "based on a true story" but not the whole story. For that we turn our attention to Our Man in Tehran, a gripping, hugely informative documentary that chronicles in detail what popularly became known as "The Canadian Caper." That moniker implies mischief and hijinks, but, as the film's subjects make clear, this was no game. Lives were on the line. This very special Mavericks event will feature an interview with Taylor, the principal subject of Our Man in Tehran. Separating the historical facts from the liberties taken in Argo, Taylor will offer a uniquely Canadian perspective on the crisis, explaining the risks taken in secretly sheltering the six American diplomats in the Canadian embassy and helping them flee the country, as well as helping to prepare Operation Eagle Claw, the US's failed attempt to rescue the other fifty-two Americans held at the American embassy.