ESPN Films’ Roll Tide/War Eagle to Premiere on November 8 on ESPN

Great rivalries abound in both college and professional sports but few compare to the venomous and consuming in-state college football rivalry that is Alabama-Auburn.  With no professional sports in the state of Alabama, football fans focus their attention on one game every year: the annual meeting between the two universities called the “Iron Bowl.”

The past two years have generated storylines around these two schools that would seem far-fetched in a Hollywood movie.  On the field, each program celebrated a national title, a Heisman Trophy winner and an Iron Bowl win.  Off the field, the rivalry took a twisted turn, with a stunning tale of poisoned trees and a historic force of Mother Nature that brought both sides of this split state together.

Roll Tide/War Eagle is a one-hour documentary that examines the history of bad blood that runs between the two programs — all told through the eyes of both school’s Hall of Fame icons, the controversial figures that launched this rivalry into the national spotlight, all the way down to its passionate roots — the fans.  The story of this heated competition unfolds via dramatic, and sometimes funny, interviews with well-known figures including Bo Jackson, Charles Barkley, Cam Newton, Mark Ingram, Nick Saban and many others.

Roll Tide/War Eagle is directed by Martin Khodabakhshian and produced by Joe Tessitore and Bruce Feldman.

ESPN Films’ recent slate of documentaries is now available on iTunes and Amazon.com and will be available soon on DVD at major retailers. A compilation of films from the series will be available in a collectible DVD Gift Set this holiday season.

Created in March 2008, ESPN Films produces high-quality films showcasing compelling sports stories. In October 2009, ESPN Films launched the Peabody Award-winning and Emmy-nominated 30 for 30 film series.  Inspired by ESPN’s 30th Anniversary, the films that made up the series were a thoughtful and innovative reflection on the past three decades told through the lens of diverse and interesting sports fans and social commentators. Additional projects from ESPN Films include, among others, the critically acclaimed and Television Academy Honor-winning 16^th Man, Cannes Film Festival official selection The Two Escobars, and the Peabody Award-winning Black Magic. Catching Hell, from Academy Award-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney, and Renée, from filmmaker Eric Drath, are featured in the latest ESPN Films series airing this fall.