My pal Tyler MacNiven has done some really great stuff since we graduated from school. I’ve regularly plugged his first feature-length documentary, Kintaro Walks Japan, on this blog. His dad and I even talked with him on his way across that country. It’s Tyler that Julie Snyder brought up (to my surprise) in our discussion of This American Life story ideas.
A year or two ago, Tyler and his friend BJ won “The Amazing Race,” and with it, a million dollars. Tyler’s used his part of the money to finance his interest in film-making, creating a new film called “I Ran Iran.”
Tyler and his friend Bobak went to Iran to run its length. They figured that their apolitical trip might foster better relations between the two countries, especially since Bobak’s family is Persian.
What they didn’t expect was what really happened: a political and beaurocratic nightmare that began with the pair being celebrated as Iranian national heroes, and ended with them being expelled from the country.
Our friend Hadley Robinson put together a nice piece on the film for the excellent Gelf Magazine. Expect the finished version in June… in the meantime, click here to watch Kintaro for free.
(Note to Amazing Race fans: Tyler is not a hippie, but he is completely, almost alarmingly genuine.)