Monopoly film by Olin grad tells game tale

The game is Monopoly, and it’s the subject of an award-winning documentary, “Under the Boardwalk: The MONOPOLY Story.’’ The film is produced and directed by Kevin Tostado, a 2006 graduate of Needham’s Olin College of Engineering and a lifelong Monopoly fan.

“I wanted to celebrate Monopoly,’’ Tostado said. “It brings families and cultures together. I was interested in its history, and how it’s become part of the popular culture.’’

With the 2009 World Championships in Las Vegas as the backdrop, the film traces Monopoly’s origins in the early 1900s, through its introduction by the Salem-based Parker Brothers in 1935, to its current status as an American icon.

To make the documentary, Tostado and his crew visited nine countries, 19 states, and Washington, D.C.

“Under the Boardwalk: The MONOPOLY Story’’ has been honored at several film festivals, and re cently had its first theatrical showing in San Diego, Tostado’s hometown.

“It’s doing really well,’’ he said.

Tostado, 26, said he has always had a passion for filmmaking. He produced his first feature film, a coming-of-age drama called “Yellow Lights,’’ as part of a senior class project at Olin. He also produced a regular program on Needham’s local-access cable channel.

“It gave me some experience and the confidence to become a filmmaker,’’ he said.

“He’s very entrepreneurial,’’ said Rob Martello, associate professor of the history of science and technology at Olin. “He found opportunities to fit his interest in filmmaking into the existing technical curriculum.’’

Martello recalled having Tostado in his Introduction to the History of Technology course as a freshman. Tostado and two friends acted out Isaac Asimov’s “Fantastic Voyage’’ for a class project.

“Hilarious,’’ Martello said. “Kevin is great at being funny, and finding a clever, witty way to address a subject.’’

Tostado was part of the initial class of 75 who entered Olin in 2002. He was the type of student the school was looking for.

“We’re trying to educate people who are creative, who follow their passions and think about the context of their work,’’ said Caitrin Lynch, an associate professor of anthropology at Olin who has kept in touch with Tostado. “We try not to squash out their nonengineering interests.’’

“Any graduate of Olin would tell you there’s more to getting an education there than solving math problems,’’ said Tom Cecil, a former roommate of Tostado who played Monopoly with him in Olin’s dorms.

Tostado said he played a lot of Monopoly as a teenager after hearing about the national championships. He recalled playing every day for a month at Olin when he realized the championships were coming up. “My friends got tired of it,’’ he said.

It wasn’t until after making the film that Tostado began competing in tournaments. He said he plays well enough to have finished in the top 10.

So what kind of people play Monopoly?

At the tournament level, Tostado said, about 80 percent are male, with a preponderance of bankers, lawyers, and teachers.

“That’s because interpersonal skills are so important,’’ he said. The luck of the dice roll is always part of it, he said, “but those who do best are those with the best interpersonal skills’’ and are good at negotiating deals.

“In Monopoly, you learn to trade and negotiate — skills you take out into the world on a daily basis,’’ he said.

“Monopoly prepares you for any multitude of fields,’’ added Cecil, now a lawyer in Dallas.

Tostado has been busy raising money to take the documentary on the road. It’s been honored at film festivals in Anaheim, Calif.; Austin, Texas; and Sedona, Ariz.

“Under the Boardwalk; The MONOPOLY Story’’ has been booked for a week at a theater in New York’s Greenwich Village in May, and Tostado hopes to bring it to the Boston area sometime in the spring or early summer.

So is filmmaking an unexpected career choice for someone with a degree in electrical and computer engineering? Not at all, says Tostado’s former professor.

“I’m delighted,’’ Martello said. “It would have been sad if he hadn’t done it. It was always Kevin and filmmaking. It’s who he is, it’s where he belongs.’’