Kevin Gelshenen Rafferty II (May 25, 1947 – July 2, 2020) was an American documentary film cinematographer, director, and producer, best known for his 1982 documentary ''

The Atomic Cafe ''The Atomic Cafe'' is a 1982 American documentary film directed by Kevin Rafferty, Jayne Loader and Pierce Rafferty. It is a compilation of clips from newsreels, military training films, and other footage produced in the United States early i ...

''.

Background

Rafferty was born in Boston on May 25, 1947. He studied architecture at Harvard and film at the

California Institute of the Arts The California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) is a private art university in Santa Clarita, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the US created specifically for students of both ...

. He helped teach the craft of filmmaking to Michael Moore during the production of ''

Roger & Me ''Roger & Me'' is a 1989 American documentary film written, produced, directed by, and starring Michael Moore, in his directorial debut. Moore portrays the regional economic impact of General Motors CEO Roger Smith's action of closing several a ...

'' in 1989, and Moore has acknowledged Rafferty's influence on his own filmmaking. Rafferty teamed up with his brother

Pierce Pierce may refer to: Places Canada * Pierce Range, a mountain range on Vancouver Island, British Columbia United States * Pierce, Colorado * Pierce, Idaho * Pierce, Illinois * Pierce, Kentucky * Pierce, Nebraska * Pierce, Texas * Pierce, We ...

and

Jayne Loader Jayne Loader is an American director and writer best known for the 1982 Cold War documentary '' The Atomic Café''. Life and career She was born in 1951 in Weatherford, Texas. She graduated from Reed College (B.A., 1973) and the University of Mi ...

to produce the

cult classic A cult following refers to a group of fans who are highly dedicated to some person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The lattermost is often called a cult classic. ...

documentary film ''

''. He was the director, producer, editor and cinematographer of many documentary projects, including '' Blood in the Face'', '' The War Room'', ''Feed'', and ''The Last Cigarette.'' His last project was ''

Harvard Beats Yale 29-29 Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher l ...

''. Rafferty was a nephew of

Barbara Bush Barbara Pierce Bush (June 8, 1925 – April 17, 2018) was First Lady of the United States from 1989 to 1993, as the wife of President George H. W. Bush, and the founder of the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy. She previously w ...

, and a cousin of

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

. Rafferty died from cancer at his home in Manhattan on July 2, 2020, at age 73.

Filmography

As director or producer

*''

'' (2008) *''Who Wants to Be President?'' (2000) *''The Last Cigarette'' (1999/I) *''Feed'' (1992) *'' Blood in the Face'' (1991) *'' Radio Bikini'' (1988) *''

'' (1982) *''Hurry Tomorrow'' (1975)

As cinematographer

*''Good Money'' (1996) *'' The War Room'' (1993) *''

'' (1989)

As himself

*'' Manufacturing Dissent'' (2007) *'' SexTV'' (2003) (TV)

Reception

Thom Powers of ''Harvardwood'' writes that Rafferty is "renowned for his wit and fresh perspectives on American culture". His various films have received positive reception. Of ''Hurry Tomorrow'', Rafferty's documentary indictment of a California State psychiatric hospital, Colin Bennet of ''

The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory ...

'' wrote "Its anger and courage are the kind that lead to reform". Michael Atkinson of '' IFC'' calls Rafferty's latest, ''Harvard Beats Yale 29-29'', "a hypnotic pleasure," and ''

Fast Company ''Fast Company'' is a monthly American business magazine published in print and online that focuses on technology, business, and design. It publishes six print issues per year. History ''Fast Company'' was launched in November 1995 by Alan Web ...

'' calls it an "engrossing documentary" which was "the best sports film we've seen in years", and Manohla Dargis of ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' writes "while it seems absurd to include such a picayune event in the annals, the filmmaker Kevin Rafferty makes the case for remembrance and for the art of the story in his preposterously entertaining documentary ''Harvard Beats Yale 29-29''". ''The Atomic Cafe'' had received praise as one of the best Cold War movies of all time.

Accolades

*1991, nomination, Grand Jury Prize for ''Blood in the Face'' by Sundance Film Festival *1983, nomination, Flaherty Documentary Award for Best Documentary for ''The Atomic Cafe'' by

British Academy of Film and Television Arts British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

*2016, ''

'' selected to the

National Film Registry The National Film Registry (NFR) is the United States National Film Preservation Board's (NFPB) collection of films selected for preservation, each selected for its historical, cultural and aesthetic contributions since the NFPB’s inception ...

"The Atomic Café" - 2016 additions to the National Film Registry - Pictures - CBS News
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References

External links

*
Kevin Rafferty
at All Movie Guide {{DEFAULTSORT:Rafferty, Kevin 1947 births 2020 deaths American documentary filmmakers Bush family California Institute of the Arts alumni Collage filmmakers Deaths from cancer in New York (state) Film directors from New York City Film producers from New York (state) Harvard Graduate School of Design alumni