Feed, Preceded by The Rifleman

A scathing, hilarious expose of the broadcast media apparatus in a brief period of time when network TV stations used a particular satellite feed setup, Feed covers the 1992 presidential primaries in all of its twisty-turny glory. The cast of characters is one still familiar today, from George H.W. Bush to former California governor Jerry Brown to the Clintons, though its machinations and scandals are tame in comparison to today’s 24 hour news cycle. The film’s operating mode of catching and showing us its subjects in the liminal moments before they knew they were being recorded—and before others were supposed to be able to see what was being recorded—points to a time when there were strong boundaries between our online and offline (and seen and unseen) selves. Co-directed by Kevin Rafferty and the then-Washington correspondent for the Village Voice, James Ridgeway, and utilizing video artist and media archivist Brian Springer’s satellite recordings, this film is both sly entertainment and a roadmap for how films can resist complicity in media narratives. (This story was also a bit of a personal one, too. Rafferty was Barbara Bush’s nephew!) Rafferty passed away this past summer—the DocYard is honored to present just one of his several landmark films, which always challenge the structure and logics of power with humor and great wisdom. (AS)

“The result is a revealing look at these specific candidates and the political process itself, at least as it manifests itself on television.” Janet Maslin, The New York Times

“Instead of moments of oratorial intensity, director Kevin Rafferty assembled all the painful clips of dead air, of the silence following a joke that didn’t quite land or the mutely grinning face of a politician who can’t hear the interview on the other end of the satellite link.” Alex Chambers, Little White Lies