A former Canadian ambassador to Iran who played a key role in the escape of six American diplomats from Tehran during the Iran Hostage Crisis almost 35 years ago is among three special guests attending this week’s Bermuda Documentary Film Festival.

Ken Taylor features prominently in the award-winning documentary ‘Our Man in Tehran’, which will be screened at the festival on Friday.

The film tells the story of how Mr Taylor — dubbed “our man in Tehran” by US President Jimmy Carter — along with colleagues in Canada’s Tehran embassy and CIA operatives, was able to spirit the six diplomats out of the country by posing them as a Canadian film crew. The daring escape was successfully carried out after the diplomats had spent three months in hiding, and became known as the Canadian Caper.

The breakout was also the subject of the 2013 Oscar-winning ‘Argo’, in which Mr Taylor was portrayed by actor Victor Garber. Although acclaimed by film critics, ‘Argo’ was accused of straying from historical fact by playing down the contribution of Mr Taylor and other Canadians in the success of the plan.

“After three months of intensive preparation for the operation, I think my role was somewhat more than just opening and closing the front door of the embassy,” Mr Taylor said in a recent interview.

The film’s co-producer and co-director, Drew Taylor, who will also be at the festival, has said that his film was “conceptualised” before ‘Argo’ and was therefore not a response to it. But he has agreed that, after meeting with Ken Taylor, the decision was made “to document the extent of Canada’s involvement in Tehran overlooked in ‘Argo’”.

Elena Semikina, of Toronto-based Film House Inc, who co-produced ‘Our Man in Tehran’, will also be attending this week’s festival, and all three guests will take part in a question-and-answer session after the screening of the film, which will be held at Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute at 8.15pm.

“It will be a great honour to have all three festival guests in attendance at the screening of their film,” says festival director Duncan Hall.

“Ken Taylor played a central role in one of modern history’s most dramatic events. It will be fascinating to hear his story, while Drew and Elena will help us understand the process of making the film.”

This will not be Ken Taylor’s first visit to the Island. As well as Tehran, his career also took him to New York where he was responsible for keeping diplomatic channels open between Bermuda and Ottawa.

‘Our Man in Tehran’ has won four festival awards, taking the Audience Award at the Victoria International Film Festival, tying for the Audience Award at Cinefest (Sudbury, Ontario), winning Best International Feature at the Charleston (South Carolina) festival and being one of three Picks for Best Feature Documentary by the North Carolina Film Critics’ Association at the Full Frame festival in Durham, North Carolina.

‘Our Man in Tehran’ is one of 11 documentary films screening at the four-day Bermuda Docs festival, which kicks off on Thursday. Full synopses can be viewed at www.bermudadocs.com, while tickets to Bermuda Docs are on sale now at www.bdatix.bm, Pulp & Circumstance-Washington Lane, Fabulous Fashions-Heron Bay Plaza, or by calling 232-2255.