"We expected we'd be there for a day, maybe one night; we ended up living together with our hosts for about 14 months," John Limbert, a former US consular official in Iran, recalls his imprisonment at the American Embassy. The diplomatic compound had been infiltrated by university students protesting 'imperialist' interference in the country's internal affairs. Disquiet over 'imperialist' interference in Iranian internal affairs was widespread. But when, on October 22 1979, the Shah took up asylum in the U.S., Ebrahim Asgharzadeh felt it was time to make a bold move: "We wanted to create a big shock in the world." In this unique archive footage, the architect of the hostage situation reveals the shrewd political calculus that led to the infamous event, and offers a rare Iranian perspective on the circumstances that necessitated it. "The ideas that we had were very pure; the US diplomatic corps were victims of their government."

Juxtaposing two parallel accounts, this unique documentary tells the same story from both sides, shedding as much light on the nature of recording history as it does on the events themselves. "I'm stuck out here with maybe a hundred very excited, very angry students - they all have these sticks" remembers Limbert. Asgharzadeh is quick to point out his overdramatised account: "He's using Hollywood style! We were excited, but didn't have sticks!"

With two empty embassies and rapprochement seemingly a distant prospect, this new perspective examines whether the hostage crisis was a cause or a symptom of worsening relations between Iran and the West. "We were in fact your hostages as well. And I'm not joking," remarks Asgharzadeh.