iTunes Preorder Available Now

Red V. Blue drops on iTunes on 4/28!

The first movie to document the Louisville-Kentucky college basketball rivalry is now available with Dolby Surround Sound, which is awesome news as your ears will finally be able to enjoy this epic hoops war as much as your eyes. So don’t delay and surf over to iTunes to preorder your copy today.

Not a fan of iTunes? Our digital distributor Indie Rights will be releasing “The Rivalry: Red V. Blue” on several other digital platforms on April 28th, including Xbox and Playstation, so if you prefer one of these formats, we’ve got you covered.  

ESPN Classic Update

In the mood for love?

Get ready for Valentine’s Day by watching Red V. Blue on ESPN Classic February 13th at 9 and 10:45 pm EST. This is the perfect television event for those of you in mixed UofL-UK relationships; after all what could be more romantic than a heated night of college basketball?!

Don’t get ESPN Classic? Don’t worry. You can also check out Red V. Blue on Kentucky Educational Television (KET) on February 9th at 9 pm. We are also featured in the February 2015 edition of KET Magazine, so pick up a copy of that periodical and check it out.

ESPN Classic is available in over 30 million American households, and we are excited to share the first and only Louisville-Kentucky hoops rivalry documentary with such a large audience. The Commonwealth is home to the greatest basketball rivalry on the planet, and we want everyone to know it!

KET Television Premiere

KET Television Premiere on 2/9/15!

The Rivalry: Red V. Blue, the first movie to document the historic Louisville-Kentucky college basketball rivalry, will make its KET television premiere on Monday, February 9th at 9 pm. 

KET is widely recognized as the most-trusted source of high-quality education and public media in Kentucky, so we are ecstatic to share this documentary with KET’s audience. One of our goals has always been to share this film with as many Kentucky and Louisville fans as possible, and this latest deal will greatly assist these efforts.

So mark your calendars, Kentuckians, and make sure you catch Red V. Blue on February 9th at 9 pm on KET from the comfort of your couch! The film will also be available to screen online at KET.org for two weeks beginning on February 9th.

College Hoops Daily Interview

College Hoops Daily recently interviewed director Rory Owen Delaney about “The Rivalry: Red V. Blue.”

“The Rivalry: Red V. Blue” was recently featured on the popular college basketball blog College Hoops Daily. Below is an excerpt from Jon Teitel’s interview with the director of “Red V. Blue” Rory Owen Delaney.

Red + Blue = Rivalry: CHD interviews the director of a Kentucky-Louisville documentary by Jon Teitel

“The Rivalry: Red v. Blue” is a documentary about the rivalry between Kentucky and Louisville, which is one of the greatest in college basketball. Located 75 miles apart from each other in Lexington and Louisville respectively, the teams have combined to win 11 NCAA titles including two of the past three.  The film includes interviews with such legendary figures as Denny Crum, Joe B. Hall, Russ Smith, and Scott Padgett.  CHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with director Rory Owen Delaney about his favorite players, how fans think about Rick Pitino, and his prediction for the big game this weekend.

Why did you decide to make this film? I got the idea to make “Red V. Blue” on New Year’s Eve in 2010, which happened to be the day of the UK-UofL men’s basketball game. That year’s game was played in Louisville at the Yum! Center, but at the time I was visiting my family in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. However, my isolation in the Rocky Mountains did not prevent my participation in the exchange of some annual good-natured rivalry banter with my fellow Kentuckians: quite the contrary!

Before the game I fired off a series of cocksure text messages to my Big Blue Nation friends, talking about how the Cardinals were going to finally best the Wildcats and Rick Pitino was going to get his first win for UofL over UK since his nemesis John Calipari took the reins in Lexington (disclaimer: I am a life-long Louisville fan.). When that prediction did not pan out and the Cats stomped the Cards at home 78-63, my phone started blowing up with text messages from all of my UK-supporter friends, who were reveling in yet another victory…

To read the full interview, visit College Hoops Daily.

Free Screening at Against the Grain Brewery

Against the Grain Brewery and Man Bites Dog Films are presenting a free documentary screening of “Red V. Blue” at the Against the Grain Brewery in Louisville, KY at 7 pm on 12/26/14.

Producer Wade Smith and Director of Photography Aaron Mikel will be hanging out to answer any questions that you might have, so wear your red or blue, have a beer or two, and get ready for college basketball’s greatest rivalry game on the 27th by watching “Red V. Blue” on December 26th!

The film traces the history of the UK-UofL rivalry from the Adolph Rupp / Peck Hickman days to the 1983 Dream Game before climaxing with the back-to-back championships claimed by Kentucky and Louisville in 2012 and 2013. The documentary features interviews with Joe B. Hall, Denny Crum, Matt Jones, Mike Rutherford, John Y. Brown, Peyton Siva, Derek Anderson and many more. But it’s not all history; there are plenty of laughs along the way thanks to the real life barbershop banter of UK and UofL super fans: Robert Boone and Mark Wagner Jr.

So come out to Against the Grain Brewery on Friday night and get pumped for the biggest basketball game of the year in the Commonwealth of Kentucky! Against the Grain Brewery is located at 401 East Main Street, Louisville, KY 40202. Also, for those of you in Atlanta area, “Red V. Blue” is playing at the Midtown Art Cinema on Friday night as well as part of Midnight Movie Mayhem, hosted by Twanee Baby.

For more information email info[at]redvbluefilm.com. Happy holidays!

Rivalry Week Update: ESPN Classic Premiere

In honor of Rivalry Week, we are happy to announce that Red V. Blue will premiere on ESPN Classic in February 2015!

The ESPN deal has been many moons in the making, and it seems appropriate that we are finally able to share the news over this Thanksgiving weekend. We will announce more details as they become available. In the meantime please enjoy our new trailer below to get amped up for today’s football game and the big basketball game in December!

And if you still have some Christmas shopping to do, don’t forget that Red V. Blue DVDs, BluRays, tshirts, posters, hoodies and other merch are available from our website at redvbluefilm.com/shop.

Close but no cigar at the North Texas Final Four

Shabazz Napier and the UCONN Huskies foil Kentucky’s plans for a North Texas Final Four coronation!

With Kentucky positioned to win its ninth national championship at the North Texas Final Four, it appeared that the state of Kentucky was poised to make college basketball history for a third consecutive spring.

If the Wildcats had delivered against the Huskies, it would’ve been the Commonwealth’s third Naismith Trophy in three years (In 2012 Kentucky was triumphant in New Orleans and in 2013 Louisville was crowned king in Atlanta.).

In fact, it seemed to many experts and fans that it was already a done deal. Kentucky was going to win number nine. After all, if “little brother” Louisville had handled UCONN easily in AAC play, “big brother” Kentucky should have no problem with the Huskies. Right?

As it turns out, UCONN never got that script, and they cruised to victory on the back of Shabazz Napier, who tallied 22 points, 6 assists, 3 rebounds and 3 steals in his final game for the Huskies.

The championship defeat was the source of much sadness for Kentucky fans but was also a cause for celebration for some Louisville supporters.

Of course, not all Louisville fans were cheering against Kentucky. I, for example, committed the Cardinal sin and cheered for Big Blue back in April. In fact, Wade and I flew to North Texas to document the scene and to attend the championship game in Jerry World.

But even though Kentucky came up just short this season, the state represented itself admirably. Louisville and Kentucky were ranked in the top five going into the 2013-2014 college basketball season, and they ended the NCAA tournament among the top five teams as well.

Next year let’s just hope that the NCAA finally gets it right and puts U of L and UK in opposite brackets. Because if U of L and UK ever meet in the finals you can bet that Wade and I will be there filming it!

HOW TO BUY THE DVD ONLINE?

The DVD and Blu-ray are available from amazon.com as well as our web store.

WHERE TO BUY THE DVD IN A STORE IN LOUISVILLE?

In Louisville most of the DVDs at Walmart and Krogers have sold out and will not be reordered until the start of the college basketball season. We have heard that Alumni Hall in the Mall of St. Matthews is still carrying copies. The DVD can also be rented or purchased at Wild and Wooly Video, the best little video store in Louisville if I may say so myself.

SLAM Magazine “Red V. Blue” Rivalry Documentary Interview

SLAM Magazine interviews director Rory Owen Delaney about his new rivalry documentary Red V. Blue.

Read the interview on Duane Watson’s blog “Directing Traffic: Basketball on Film.”

Battleground State: Red V. Blue documentary takes a close looks at Louisville-Kentucky rivalry.

By Duane Watson

Many will argue that North Carolina versus Duke is the greatest rivalry in college basketball, but in the Bluegrass State, nothing is as divisive as Louisville vs Kentucky. Only in Louisville, will you find two seniors coming to blows over their respective schools at a dialysis center. Yet despite their close proximity, both universities have only faced each other 46 times since 1913. The competition intensified with the annual Battle of the Bluegrass, which started in 1983, however, games take on a deeper meaning with the National Championship on the line. Both schools are in the Sweet 16 and face off in the Midwest Regional semi-final, No. 4 Louisville will face No. 8 UK with more than just state pride will be at stake.

Red V. Blue started filming as the Wildcats made their 2012 championship run, and the subsequent season as the Cardinals not to be outdone, won a national championship in 2013. Yet the documentary goes far back into the history of the state and it’s climate on a cultural level, providing a deep understanding of how this feud came to be, and why it still rages strong. While conflicts didn’t permit for the most coveted sit down Rick Pitino, the only person to have coached at both schools, there are a dearth of interviews, from former players, coaches, historians and most importantly their passionate fans.

SLAM spoke with Rory Owen Delaney, the director of Red V Blue about the film.

SLAM: Is this the biggest rivalry in basketball and why?

Rory Owen Delaney: Yeah, I think it really is the biggest rivalry in basketball. One of the big reasons is they only play once a year, as they’re not in the same conference. So you don’t get that Duke/North Carolina deal where they play twice and may play in the ACC tournament. They just have this one game and you got to get it right, and maybe you’ll get a meeting in the NCAA tournament. The other reason is there are no pro sports teams in Kentucky, so those two universities are the equivalent of pro teams. I think even Forbes Magazine has analyzed this and I believe both of those teams generate more revenue than most NBA teams. (Louisville has topped Forbes list for most valuable college basketball teams the last two seasons, but the program doesn’t generate more revenue than pro teams—Ed.). Lastly, I think this whole history of where they didn’t play for decades and where there was this urban rule, almost even a little bit of regional tension to it. Even though it’s not like it used to be, there still a little specter of it and fires people up a little bit more.

Click here to read the rest of the interview!

Digital Pay-Per-View

Beginning Sunday, March 16th, 2014 at 6:00 pm ET, the film will be available through Digital Pay-Per-View on redvbluefilm.com. Fans can purchase unlimited digital viewing of the film for $9.99 and will be able to purchase advanced tickets beginning Friday, March 14th.

Please click on the Purchase button in the video player below to access unlimited digital viewings of Red V. Blue for $9.99!

DVD Release Date!

Man Bites Dog Films, in collaboration with Volar Video, announces the Digital Pay-Per-View and DVD/Blu-ray release dates of “The Rivalry: Red V. Blue,” the first film to document college basketball’s ultimate rivalry: University of Louisville vs. University of Kentucky.

Today we are pleased to report that amazon.com is currently taking preorders for the DVD and Blu-Ray. The film will also be available through Digital Pay-Per-View beginning Sunday, March 16th, 2014 at 6:00 pm ET on redvbluefilm.com. Fans can purchase unlimited digital viewing of the film for $9.99 and will be able to purchase advanced tickets beginning Friday, March 14th.

In addition, the film’s DVD and Blu-ray versions will be released on Tuesday, March 18th, 2014. Fans can purchase copies of this film for $19.99 (DVD) and $24.99 (Blue-ray) by visiting retailers across the state including Walmart, Kroger, Meijer, Hibbett Sports, Fan Outfitters, Kennedy, Neutral Zone, Dunham’s Sports, FiveStar Food Mart, Hallmark, Lids, and JD Becker, and also online through redvbluefilm.com, Amazon.com, CatsPause.com, ESPN.com, CBSSports.com, UKTeamShop.com and Shop.GoCards.com.

Red V. Blue weaves current events, including back-to-back national championships in 2012 and 2013, with the intriguing history of a rivalry game that didn’t exist for decades. The film features interviews with legendary coaches of both programs, former players, prominent sportswriters and other sports media personalities, politicians, celebrities, and a wide range of die-hard fans, making it a must-see for any college sports fan.

The documentary premiered in Lexington at the Lexington Opera House and in Louisville at the Muhammad Ali Center in December 2013 and is currently being shown in select theaters across Kentucky through March 2014. The film also screened at The River City Festival of Films in Owensboro, KY this past weekend.

About Man Bites Dog Films

Man Bites Dog Films is a boutique film production company established by filmmaker Rory Owen Delaney with the mission of creating unique content for unique audiences. In 2010 producer Wade Smith joined forces with Man Bites Dog Films. Both Delaney and Smith share a passion for film, grew up in Kentucky and were named honorable Kentucky Colonels. “The Rivalry: Red V. Blue” is the second feature length documentary produced by Man Bites Dog Films. Man Bites Dog Films specializes in innovative digital filmmaking and has offices in Los Angeles, CA and Paintsville, KY. For more information, visit www.mbdfilms.com.

About Volar Video

Volar Video is a digital video technology company whose proprietary software and production platform enables clients to broadcast and monetize events in high quality with custom graphics and ad insertion. Led by an experienced team of production, technical software, marketing and sports executives, Volar Video delivers customized video solutions across television, computer and mobile platforms. Volar Video has offices in Lexington, Ky. and New York. For more information, visit www.volarvideo.com.