The latest top films plus a children's fest and free fringe fest this year at ShAFF.
You’ve saved the date in your diary, you’ve watched the trailer, and now it’s time to get down to details.
The fourth Sheffield Adventure Film Festival is less than two weeks away so take a deep breath and get ready for a weekend that looks even more chocka than usual …
The speakers
The festival will be playing host to a good choice of speakers who are all ready to impress, inspire, scare, amuse, pin you to your seats … and everything else a mountain festival speaker should do.
It’s hard to single anyone out from a strong line up, but we notice that film-maker Al Lee will be on the spot, with his many ‘People’s Choice’ awards from Kendal, and an atmospheric new photography book too, so don’t miss him. Dave Birkett will also be on hand explaining ‘How I started climbing and why I still do it …’ so start thinking philosophical thoughts now.
And if you’re in technical mode then don’t miss the BMC’s panel discussion about climbing grades – just bring to mind the last time you thought ‘HS 4b? – yeah right!’, and get ready to hear what the experts have to say on the matter. There’s lots more too …
The films
Packing in everything you want to see looks set to be a bit of a conjuring feat, so start practicing your juggling now…
To keep the number of balls to a minimum though, the film programme has been packaged up in several ways. You can choose by theme – so there’s Culture and Environment, Climb, Air and Water, Bike and Snow (not both at the same time, we hope) and so on ...
Alternatively, you can go for a ‘Best of …’ film package. But with 13 premiers and more films than you’ve got used climbing shoes, it should be good whichever option you go for.
There’s an interesting new addition to the film agenda too …
The Sheffield fringe
If Edinburgh can do it then why not Sheffield? Full length versions of cut-down films, plus entries that didn’t make it to the festival organisers on time, will be on show for free at Café Euro. Now you can’t say fairer than that …
Kids join in
And for the junior members of the climbing community, there’s even a programme of films for children. If you’re lucky enough to live in the vicinity of Sheffield then your bairns might just be lucky enough to see the film programme in lesson time but otherwise, just bring them along at the weekend. Who needs a Nintendo Wii to keep them entertained, anyway?:-)
Logistics
Sheffield’s closer than Kendal, Fort William, Keswick, and the other big mountain festivals for those of us who are stuck in the big smoke – closer than Banff, too – which is a pretty big logistical thumbs up for quite a few people.
Other details you should know are:
Dates: Friday 27th February to Sunday 1st March
Location: The Showroom Cinema – the UK’s largest independent cinema outside London
Price:£19 per day for day passes, £6.50 for short film combinations, £7 to £10 for speakers, free Fringe Festival.
More information: See ShAFF website
Oh yes, and did we mention there’ll be a party too?:-)
