DVDs to drones: 20 years of ShAFF

It’s April 2006. A little-known website called Twitter is two weeks old, Gnarls Barkley's ‘Crazy’ has just reached number one on – unthinkably – digital downloads alone, and Sheffield Adventure Film Forum is preparing to take over two screens at Showroom Cinema for the very first time.

Approximately 1,500 films later, some things have moved on – we no longer sell DVDs of the films at the box office – but the fundamental promise of ShAFF remains exactly the same: the world’s greatest adventure films packed into one weekend, with talks, walks, workshops and exhibitions to boot.

We asked Matt, ShAFF founder, for his memories, highlights and reflections on adventure sports, filmmaking and the city of Sheffield over the last two decades.

What did ShAFF 2006 look like? Did you think you’d be going stronger than ever 20 years on?

The first years were bittersweet. The films were great, people loved them and the venue was brilliant. But audiences were small, and it felt like I was bashing my head against the wall. Thankfully we were supported by a small but extremely enthusiastic community, without which I'm not sure the festival would've survived.

We started out renting films from already-established festivals, and it took us several years to build a reputation where filmmakers began to submit films to us. I have a record of every single film, going back to year one. And I can remember most of them.

How has the adventure scene, if we can call it that, changed in Sheffield since 2006?

That's an interesting question. Sheffield has always been the climbing Mecca in the UK because of our proximity to the Peak District. I guess what I’ve seen is more of an uptake in road cycling, mountain biking, bike packing and, since covid, wild swimming. But we’ve lost the ski village which produced Team GB athletes.

Meanwhile, the council picked up on the fact that Sheffield is unusual and rebranded us ‘The Outdoor City’, and they now invest in events like ShAFF which has been very welcome.

What about the changes in adventure filmmaking?

Things have changed enormously. Film equipment has become cheaper and cheaper, to the point that shots that you’d previously need a helicopter for can now be captured by one person and a relatively inexpensive drone.

We've had films submitted which were filmed and edited entirely with an iPhone. But it’s not just film making that changed, but film viewing. Pessimists assumed that people would simply stay at home and watch films on their phones. But we’ve always said that going to the cinema, and film festivals in particular, is also about community. Where would you rather watch someone ski down a mountain at sunset – on a huge screen with others, or on a cracked screen in your toilet.

Other than the films, what stands out in your ShAFF memories over the last 20 years?

About ten years ago, the Sheffield Half Marathon made it to international news because they’d forgotten to provide any water for the runners. Nobody realised until 5,000 people were on the start line. The organisers decided to cancel the event, but the runners at the front began running and the rest just followed! The course happened to go right past the Showroom, so we had a team of volunteers and visitors outside on the street giving water out. It was a great example of the community rallying around each other.

What’s next for ShAFF?

I'd really like to see it cement itself as a destination weekend for anybody who gives a monkey about partaking in a sustainable Adventure Community. But hopefully that doesn’t take two decades!