Twenty years of adventure on screen: ShAFF returns to Showroom with anniversary film weekend
Sheffield Adventure Film Festival (ShAFF) is returning to the cinema where it began for a weekend celebrating 20 years of adventure filmmaking.
On Saturday, November 28 and Sunday 29, Showroom Cinema will host a retrospective of feature films drawn from the festival’s history, giving audiences another chance to see some of its most memorable stories on the big screen.
The anniversary comes as Sheffield celebrates being shortlisted for UK City of Culture 2029. ShAFF featured in the city’s bid campaign through Cultivating Culture, a Sheffield City Council film exploring how the city’s natural environment inspires its cultural life. Festival co-director Frit Tam was interviewed for the film, highlighting ShAFF’s connection to Sheffield’s outdoor and creative communities.
The Showroom programme includes North of the Sun, The Bikes of Wrath, Wild Days and Champions of the Golden Valley. Individual screening tickets are now available alongside day and weekend passes, so audiences can choose a single session or make a weekend of it.
ShAFF first took place at Showroom Cinema in March 2006. Since then, founder Matt Heason has watched more than 5,000 adventure films. The anniversary programme draws on that experience and the festival’s audience ratings to revisit the stories that have stayed with viewers.
Matt will attend the Showroom retrospective and the Cathedral event, sharing his observations on how adventure filmmaking has changed over two decades.
The celebrations continue on Thursday, December 3, with Spirit of Adventure at Sheffield Cathedral. Two programmes of short films, selected using audience votes and screened chronologically, will take viewers through 20 years of adventure on film.
The Cathedral line-up includes Danny MacAskill: The Ridge, Dark Side of the Lens, Denali, One Breath Around the World and Bluetits, alongside this year’s Surfing With a Penguin.
Both Cathedral sessions will feature live music. Sunshine Pizza will serve food in the forecourt and the Cathedral bar will be open.
Frit Tam, Festival Co-Director at ShAFF, said: “There are films in this line-up that people still talk about years later, and we can’t wait to share them on the big screen again. Whether you’ve been coming to ShAFF for years or this is your first visit, come along and find a new favourite.
“Watching adventure films in the Cathedral, with live music filling the space and pizza and a drink with friends, is pretty special. It’s a lovely way to bring everyone together, look back at twenty years of ShAFF and get excited for what’s coming in March.”
The anniversary events begin the build-up to ShAFF 2027, which takes place from Friday, March 19 to Sunday 21. The full festival will bring a new selection of adventure films from around the world to Sheffield.