KINGSTON, ON. – A documentary about the incredible life of Stu Crawford – a Queen’s University hockey star and Second World War hero – will be shown at two upcoming film festivals.

A Century in the Making: The Stu Crawford Story documents the life and legacy of Crawford, who passed away in November at the age of 100. The film will now receive national exposure after being picked up by two prominent Canadian film festivals – both the Kingston Canadian Film Festival and the Belleville Downtown Docfest plan to screen the film in early March.

Before Crawford laced up his skates to play with the Queen’s Golden Gaels from 1947 to 1951, he was battling in the skies over Nazi Germany as a bomb aimer with the Royal Canadian Air Force. On April 8, 1945, his Lancaster was shot out of the sky, and he miraculously survived the crash landing in enemy territory.

Filmmaker and Queen’s alumnus Mike Downie, Artsci’86, was inspired by Crawford’s bravery after reading about him in the Queen’s Alumni Review last spring and knew he had to make a film about him.

“Stu’s story is not just a Kingston story, it’s a Canadian story,” says Downie. “It’s about hockey, but it’s also about resilience, and teamwork, and courage. Being able to share his incredible story at these festivals is truly an honour.”

The 14-minute documentary is a collaboration between the Queen’s Office of Advancement, Athletics and Recreation, the Queen’s Department of Film and Media, the Kingston Film Office, and Downie’s Courage Films. Many Queen’s alumni were involved in the movie behind the scenes, including Mickayla Pyke, Artsci’16, Jacob Akman, Artsci’20, and Kalin Moon, Artsci’07.

“We are so proud of this film and all the alumni who came together to make this happen,” says Karen Bertrand Vice-Principal, Advancement. “Stu Crawford’s story is about the bonds that tie us all to Queen’s and a moving tribute to an ordinary man who made an extraordinary contribution to his community and his country. I know the audiences at these film festivals will be as moved by it as I was.”

Gaels fans, who knew Crawford’s legacy as a player and coach, were given a special preview of the documentary at the Carr-Harris Cup hockey game on Feb. 2. Crawford co-founded the Carr-Harris Cup, which started in 1986 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Queen’s-RMC hockey rivalry.

For more information, contact Queen’s University Media Manager Julie Brown (brown.julie@queensu.ca. 343-363-2763)