Help Me Finish Tony's Documentary: Caught Between

My name is Hayley Leeper and I am the director of this documentary on Tony Turkmani. I have known Tony since I was a little girl, but until recently, I didn't know his story...

CAUGHT BETWEEN

In 1977, a 14-year-old Iranian boy arrived in the United States to receive a western education. Over the next few years, he faced trials of isolation and persecution instigated by the Iran Hostage Crisis of 1979 and the Iran-Iraq War. His journey forced him to grapple with dashed hopes of the past, and how to find meaning in difficult circumstances.


HOW THIS PROJECT STARTED

If you know Tony, you have probably seen firsthand that he is always looking to help the people around him. And this journey began because of his generous spirit.

After I graduated from film school in 2017, I went back home to the Quad Cities. I wanted to build my resume before making the big move back to Los Angeles to pursue my career. I was looking for a film project to pour myself into. Unfortunately, I live in an area that lacks an interest in film. I had no crew, no camera, no resources. After weeks of depression about the situation, I went to my kid cousin's birthday party at a local pizza place.

That's when I ran into Tony. He kindly asked how I was doing, but he could clearly see that I was going through something painful. I told him about my dilemma. Out of the blue, he said, "Well, why don't you make a film about my life?" I was shocked because I had known this man all of my life, but had never heard how he came to the US. And I had been looking for a story for two months!  The idea instantly clicked. I wanted to say yes, but I still didn't have a camera. And without a beat, Tony offered to pay for half the price of a documentary camera to get the project going. So I said yes! After a couple of weeks of planning, we began to shoot what became a film about immigration, racism and living with conditions outside our control.


HELP US FINISH THE FILM

The film is in its last stages before release. Tony and I sat down and did five interviews to capture his impactful journey.

However, due to the fact that we were not able to go to Iran to shoot video, we need to buy stock footage from the web to capture the beauty of Tony's home country.

With your help, the film will finally be ready for viewing! I intend to submit the documentary to festivals and share Tony's amazing story with a wider audience. Through your contribution to the last few touches on the project, you are helping to make that happen!

Tony and I are so grateful for your support!