Susan King of the LA Times promotes the film in the print edition.

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Posted on Apr 15 2008    
Filed Under: News

Katey Rich of Cinema Blend interviews John & Brad.

Traveling with just a digital camera and each other, the Hennegans befriended the families and stables that trained the horses, getting up close and personal with the horses, the jockeys, and even the kids of the trainers hanging around the stables. The effect is an amazingly comfortable and intimate documentary, explaining the rules and traditions of the horse racing world while telling an engaging, funny story.

Read it here.

Posted on Apr 15 2008    
Filed Under: News

Jennifer Merin of About.com gives the film 4 1/2 stars.

Using actual footage from the 132nd Annual Kentucky Derby (2006), The First Saturday in May captures the rush of the horserace that’s been called “the most exciting two minutes in sports.” But the film’s biggest achievement is its revaluation of behind-the-scenes stories of trainers and their thoroughbreds.

Read it here.

Posted on Apr 15 2008    
Filed Under: News

John and Brad discuss the film and their process at Doc Week.

Basically, we just got there at 4:30 every morning, put a microphone on ‘em, and after half an hour or so, they forgot we were there, and we were just fly on the wall, and we just shot them all the time, and they were pretty open.

Read it here.

Posted on Apr 15 2008    
Filed Under: News

John & Brad discuss the film with Brad Balfour at Hosokinema, a film interview site.

Watch the interview here.

Posted on Apr 15 2008    
Filed Under: News

John, Brad and trainer Dale Romans discuss the film and what it takes to win the Derby on NPR.

Listen or download podcast here.

Posted on Apr 15 2008    
Filed Under: News

Jennifer Merin of About.com’s Documentary Blog calls the film wonderful.

Additionally, you get a behind-the-scenes primer about the fascinating world of world-class horseracing. The horses are magnificent, and the trainers and their cohorts are coloful and entertaining characters.

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Posted on Apr 13 2008    
Filed Under: News

Several bloggers attended the Thursday premier in New York City:

From Brooklyn Backstretch:

This is a wonderful movie, featuring quirky, interesting characters; formidable racehorses; and the drama of sports, which is the best reality show there is. OK, so we know how the race turned out…and if you’re a Barbaro fan, that’s good news. If you were rooting for Jazil…well, enjoy the replay of the Wood, and think about the horses running this weekend in the final major Derby preps. Catch them on your local horse-racing channel, pick someone to back (financially or otherwise), and tune in again on Derby Day, May 3rd. Horse racing needs all the fans it can get, and this movie superbly shows us why this terrific sport deserves much more attention than it currently garners.

From Railbird:

Don’t forget! “The First Saturday in May,” the feel-good documentary by the Hennegan Brothers that follows six 2006 Kentucky Derby prospects, including Barbaro and Lawyer Ron, from preps to post, opens in theaters across the country beginning April 18. Find a theater near you.

From Green but Game:

The sense of emotion is so palpable in the film whether it’s the trainers being nervous before a race, family members elaborating on the struggles of the trainers or the inevitable outcome of the fate of Barbaro… you could feel it all. Everyone was all in at every moment and if that’s not a draw I don’t know what is.

Posted on Apr 13 2008    
Filed Under: News

Nicole Lyn Pesce of the New York Daily News promotes the film.

Besides keeping viewers on the edge of their seats, the Hennegans are donating 25% of all ticket sales to benefit the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation for equine research.

Read the article.

Posted on Apr 13 2008    
Filed Under: News

Tim Layden of Sports Illustrated recommends the film as a primer to this year’s Derby.

The Hennegans were relentless in capturing the passion — maybe even desperation — that accompanies the Derby chase every year. Almost everyone associated with a horse clawing his (or her) way to the Derby understands that if even if they have been there before, they might never be back again. It’s an added bonus that 2006 brought Barbaro, who was both one of the most talented horses of the last several decades, but also one whose story became one of the most poignant. See the movie. It will help you understand that the Derby is more than mint juleps, My Old Kentucky Home and a little too much pre-game on NBC (and everywhere else).

Read the Article.

Posted on Apr 11 2008    
Filed Under: News