Hubert Davis is a Canadian documentary filmmaker whose work has consistently explored themes of identity, family, and resilience. His short films include the Academy Award–nominated Hardwood (2004) and Aruba (2006), both of which played at the Toronto International Film Festival. He has gone on to direct acclaimed feature documentaries such as Invisible City (2009), Giants of Africa (2016), and Black Ice (2022), which won the People’s Choice Documentary Award at TIFF. Youngblood (2025) is his latest film, premiering at the Festival this year.
A reimagining of the 1986 hockey cult classic, Youngblood tells the story of Dean Youngblood (Ashton James), a gifted but volatile hockey player conditioned by his father Blane (Blair Underwood) to meet every challenge with aggression. His chance to join the Hamilton Mustangs might be his final opportunity to change course. Along the way, Dean navigates toxic teammates, clashes with his skeptical coach Murray (Shawn Doyle), and forms a connection with Murray’s daughter Jessie (Alexandra McDonald), herself a promising athlete. More than a sports drama, the film explores race, masculinity, and resilience within the world of hockey.
ALT sat down with Hubert Davis to discuss the making of Youngblood, honouring the vision of the late Charles Officer, and why TIFF remains such a special festival for him.
ALT: How different is this film from the original, and how did you honour the memory of the original director, Charles Officer?
Hubert Davis: So, Charles—there’s the film that existed in the ’80s, and then there was the reimagining that Charles started the process of creating, a version of that. For me, it was really about figuring out what Charles was trying to say with this film, and that very much was turning everything around.
In the original film, the player doesn’t know how to fight, and then there’s that training sequence, like in a lot of those ’80s movies, right at the end. He learns how to fight, beats up the bully, and gets the girl—and that’s the whole thing.
I think what Charles wanted to do with this script was invert that idea. Invert the idea of what it means to be a man. Fighting isn’t always the answer. That was inherently what was kind of problematic about those movies I grew up on. So, I think that was a big part of what he was trying to say.
For me, it was about taking my own personal experiences—my relationship with my dad, my relationship with my sons now—and infusing that into the story to make it feel true. And then you give it over to amazing actors like these, and suddenly you’ve got something.
ALT: How important was it to you to have Youngblood premiere at TIFF?
Hubert Davis: That was the goal from the beginning. When we were making the film, we wanted it to premiere at TIFF. When I heard Blair say he had never done TIFF, I was shocked because of all the amazing work he’s done over the years. So I thought, “This is going to be great—this is the way to do it.”
It’s funny—Ash and I also talked during the casting process about TIFF and how much we wanted to go. We’d both worked on projects that didn’t get in before, and we said, “We’ve got to go back to TIFF for this.” TIFF is such a great festival, not just in Canada but internationally, which is so important for a film like this.
It’s also about the audience. TIFF audiences are known for their responses and their energy. That first screening at TIFF can possibly be the best screening you’ll ever have—sharing it for the first time with people in a room together. This film is very much meant to be seen that way, as a shared experience. So, I’m thrilled and excited for that.
ALT: What’s next for you after this film?
Hubert Davis: Honestly, I’ve just been focused on this. There’s a project that’s very loosely starting to come together, but nothing exciting enough to talk about at this stage. Right now, I’m just excited to get the screening going, see what comes out of it, and give this film its life. It’s maybe a boring answer, but it’s the only one I’ve got.
Youngblood (2025) premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on September 6, 2025.
