What started as a niche weekender is now a fixture of the city’s cultural calendar. As ShAFF hits 20, we look back – and forward.
Back in 2006, a small team with big ambitions took over two screens at the Showroom Cinema. Their aim? To bring the world’s best adventure films to Sheffield – a city already brimming with climbers, bikers, runners and storytellers. That weekend became the first Sheffield Adventure Film Festival. Twenty years on, ShAFF has grown into one of the UK’s leading festivals of its kind, pulling in filmmakers, athletes and outdoor lovers from all over the world.
ShAFF 2026 (20–22 March) celebrates two decades of mountain highs, muddy trails and creative grit with a weekend of screenings, talks, walks, workshops and exhibitions – all stitched into the fabric of The Outdoor City. With more than a hundred films, brand-new partnerships and hands-on events, this anniversary edition looks back at where it all started, and forward to what comes next.
We caught up with ShAFF founder Matt Heason to talk about two decades of change – in the city, in adventure filmmaking, and in the festival itself.
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 received some grants from National Lottery and Screen Yorkshire, and we have been 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. On the other hand, we’ve lost the ski village which produced Team GB athletes.
There’s definitely an adventure filmmaking community in the city, and I’d say it’s still focused mainly towards climbing. But I expect over the next 5 to 10 years we’ll see more filmmakers specialising in the other sports locally.
Meanwhile, the council picked up on the fact that Sheffield is unusual and rebranded us ‘The Outdoor City’. They discovered that people in Sheffield were spending three times as much money on outdoor kit than the rest of the country. So they’ve taken more of an interest in recent years, 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!
Check out this year’s programme at shaff.co.uk
@sheffieldadventure
