"Youngblood" remake kicks off Kingston Canadian Film Festival

A sold-out gala at the Isabel Bader Centre saw a new version of an 80s classic.

It would perhaps wouldn't be a Canadian film festival if it didn't have a movie about hockey.

People gathered at the Isabel Bader Centre Wednesday night for the opening night of the Kingston Canadian Film Festival. The sold-out gala came to see a screening of Youngblood, a remake of the 1986 film that starred Patrick Swayze and Rob Lowe.

The 2025 version stars Ashton James who plays Dean Youngblood, an American hockey prospect playing for a team in Canada. James (in photo on right) and director Hubert Davis (left) were on hand for the screening and the Q&A session afterwards.

The Toronto-born James says it took around two years for him to train and learn about the sport but did enjoy it during filming.

Davis' directorial credits include a pair of sports documentaries: Black Ice and Hardwood, the latter was nominated for an Oscar in 2005.

Davis says he wanted to update the film for today's audience but also tried to keep it as close to the original as possible.

The movie also stars veteran actor Blair Underwood who plays Youngblood's father.

James says he hopes older audiences and younger ones will enjoy this version of the film.

For a list and schedule of films be shown at the Kingston Canadian Film Festival, go to their website.

Story by Ken Hashizume