Running Time: 75 minutesCountry: Canada/Iran/USA
Genre: Documentary
Cast: David Theodore, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George Bush Sr., Gary Sick
Director: Jean-Daniel Lafond
Director: Jean-Daniel Lafond
Revealed to the world in the 2001 movie 'Kandahar', directed by Mohsen Makhmalbaf, David Theodore Belfield is wanted in the U.S. for the 1980 killing of an Iranian diplomat, and now lives in exile in Iran. The story of an unrepentant assassin and an articulate accuser, 'American Fugitive' is the story of Hassan, a Black American who, in 1980, in Washington, acting on a fatwa, assassinated the Shah’s representative to the United States, Ali Akbar Tabatabai. Since then, he has been wanted by the FBI and has lived in exile in Iran.
Jean-Daniel LafondBorn in France , Jean-Daniel Lafond is a former philosophy professor, a documentary filmmaker and a writer. He has written and directed over a dozen films that embody his commitment to creative documentary filmmaking: Dream Tracks (Les traces du rêve) (1986), Le Voyage au bout de la route (1987), Le Visiteur d’un soir (1989), La Manière Nègre ou Aimé Césaire, chemin faisant (1991), Tropic North (Tropique Nord), Freedom Outraged (La Liberté en colère) (1994), Haiti in All Our Dreams (Haïti dans tous nos rêves) (1995), Last Call for Cuba (L’Heure de Cuba) (1999), The Barbarian Files (Le Temps des barbares) (1999), Salam Iran, A Persian Letter (Salam Iran, une lettre persane) (2001), Le Faiseur de théâtre (2002), The Cabinet of Dr. Ferron (Le Cabinet du Docteur Ferron) (2003), American Fugitive: The Truth about Hassan (2006). A seasoned observer of the world and of our times, Jean-Daniel Lafond has crafted films that tell touching, though-provoking stories; philosophical poems that resonate with the call of the road, and mirror the fates of men and nations. Parallel to his involvement in cinema, he has developed an original body of work for radio and has also published several books. He is married to the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Governor General of Canada , and is actively involved in the activities of the office.
Awards:
TV5 award for best French-language documentary, Namur 1994 Award for Best Political Film, Hot Docs Festival, Toronto 1996 Prix Gémeau for Best Documentary, 2002 Prix Gémeau for Best Cultural Documentary, 2004 Numerous nominations, including: Genie Award for Best Documentary in 1987 and Gemini Award for Best Documentary in 2000.
