Ticklish LA clash for doco duo
Kiwi film-maker warned to ‘lawyer up’ in confrontation broadcast live. Josh Fagan reports.
The man who features at the centre of the Tickled documentary has gatecrashed a screening of the film in the US and verbally abused Kiwi film-maker Dylan Reeve.
A crowd of people booed as the man, named as David D’Amato, interrupted a question and answer session with fans at Nuart theatre in Los Angeles yesterday.
The awkward showdown was broadcast live on Facebook and those watching on appeared to be hanging on every word, with several posting on social media that it was ‘‘crazy’’ and ‘‘insane’’.
In his comments, D’Amato warned there would be lengthy lawsuits over the film, which is based on the world of competitive endurance tickling.
He said: ‘‘You need to lawyer up. You need to get criminal counsel’’.
Before going into the Q and A Reeve was ambushed by Kevin Clarke, who works for D’Amato. In their testy 15-minute exchange Clarke argued the film was full of lies.
While Reeve defended the methods of he and co-director, David Farrier, Clarke kept repeating demands that recordings of interviews be released.
‘‘The film is a piece of garbage full of lies,’’ he said.
‘‘Release the audio tapes that show you’re lying. And if you don’t release it, it’s the same as admitting you’re lying.’’
The confrontation followed the launch of a website this week by Clarke, apparently designed to discredit the documentary and Reeve and Farrier.
On the site Clarke describes Tickled as a ‘liarmentary’.
Farrier has fielded two legal threats already from the subjects of his film and has hired US lawyers to defend the cases.
He’s maintained that he’s entirely confident about the movie and had every line checked by lawyers before its release.
Tickled, Farrier’s first film, has received widespread critical acclaim, with the New York Times giving it a glowing write-up this week.
Chief film critic Manohla Dargis placed it on the ‘‘NYT Critics’ Pick’’ this week.
She wrote Farrier was ‘‘less of a showboat than some documentarians who assume that role, and, after a while, this measured quality feels as much an ethical choice as a matter of temperament’’.
‘‘[Farrier] and Mr. Reeve see the humour, but they also see the pathos — because it’s all fun and giggles until someone gets hurt.’’