David Farrier is working on a feature-length documentary entitled Clamped based on the Bashford Antiques scandal, which he has previously written about extensively.
The Auckland second-hand shop was infamous for charging exorbitant fees after wheel clamping cars on its property before a change in the law. Most of the clamping is said to be carried out by Michael Organ, a former sex shop owner who once masqueraded as a blue-blooded prince and was jailed for stealing a yacht.
Farrier announced the documentary on his personal website Webworm, saying "this is so much more than a story about clamping" that goes to "much darker territory".
The Tickled and Dark Tourist filmmaker says beyond what he's already written about Bashford Antiques and Michael Organ for The Spinoff that "the strange machinations going on stretch back decades".
He admits, however, that it may seem an odd story to focus on as the world suffers through the devastating COVID-19 pandemic and with protests raging across the US over racism and police brutality.
"It's a strange time to be making the sort of documentary I make, which are often these stories that are very focussed and seem quite small," Farrier told Newshub.
"It's strange because we are facing these giant, seemingly insurmountable problems right now, so you might look at the story I'm working on and think: 'Who f**king cares about this?'
"But I can only go where my nose takes me and right now it's very deep into this very specific story that I think could only exist in a weird little f**ked up place like New Zealand."
He said Clamped shares themes with Tickled in that both document bullying, abuse and a great deal of subterfuge.
The former Newshub journalist added that unlike Dark Tourist - which was suddenly released in its entirety via Netflix in 2018 - he'll keep followers up to date with the production of Clamped as it progresses.
"I am going to go behind the scenes a little bit in my newsletter Webworm, which is this sort of throwback thing I'm doing where I get to communicate directly with the people who follow my stuff," Farrier said.
"It's a very '90s thing to do but I love writing it. I write about fickle stuff like finding my stock photo model 'twin', but also things really I care about like that guy wearing a MAGA hat at the Black Lives Matter protest. And yeah, films and TV shows I am working on too."
Farrier is asking anyone who has had run-ins with Bashford Antiques and Michael Organ to get in touch with him.
He wouldn't say who he was working on the film with or when it was likely to be released.
