ShAFF Bike line-up announced
21st Feb 2012
STEVE PEAT & SHEFFIELD YOUNG GUNS EXPERT NIGHT - 1st MARCH
2 SPECIAL BIKE FILM SCREENINGS - 9/10th MARCH
CHRIS AKRIGG ROAD TO RECOVERY TALK - 10th MARCH
The 2012 Sheffield Adventure Film Festival biking line-up’s confirmed with a double helping of bike films (9-10 March) plus trials rider Chris Akrigg fellow rider, film-maker and writer Richard Cunynghame about coming back from his horrendous accident last year (10 March). And to whet your appetite there’s a pre-festival Expert Q&A night on March 1st with special guest local downhill mountain bike legend Steve Peat and the city’s up and coming talent, hosted by Sheffield mountain-biker, scribe and rabble rouser John Horscroft. (Click here to download a pdf version of this press release).
It’s all on at Sheffield’s art-deco Showroom - the UK’s biggest independent cinema outside London. There’s a comfy bar with beer on tap, great food, free wifi, live music and a whole host of other films and talks from the ever popular ‘Adrenaline’ films screening to the new ‘Adventure Bites’ loop of short viral hits.
Festival Director Matt Heason says: “Sheffield’s mountain bike scene is arguably the most vibrant in the country with a wealth of superb cross-country trails and a thriving downhill community. Last year’s bike screening’s sold out and Alex Rankin’s Sprung & Earthed showing followed by Steve Peat’s double act with Rob Warner proved so popular we had to double the seating. We’re proud to be showing some of the best bike films of recent years and delighted that Chris Akrigg’s giving a talk about his film-making, last year’s accident and the road to recovery.”
ShAFF judge and Team GB duathlete Nik Cook gives us his personal highlights: “This year’s bike line-up is the strongest ever and it’ll be a hard job choosing which film wins the ‘Steve Peat Best Bike Film Award’ . As ever there’s plenty of tricks and flicks but more than that the films give you a real insight into what makes some of the world’s strongest riders tick. Red Bull Rampage and 3 Minute Gaps both show the ups and downs of the pro circuit and the commitment needed to compete at the highest level. Into Thin Air shows the genuine adventures anyone can have getting out on two wheels.”
Plus festival sponsors, the Edinburgh Bicycle Cooperative are offering a Revolution Courier Race bike (worth £329.99) in an online ShAFF competition.
And because variety’s the spice of life (and perhaps not all your family and friends are cyclists!) there’s a whole host of other adventure sports films, talks and lectures. We’ll also have a photo and video competitions, exhibitions, a charity auction, 2nd hand kit sale, massage by Global Therapies and much, much more.
ALSO NEW FOR 2012:
- New awards category ‘Best Viral’ to reflect the surging popularity and quality of shorts posted on You Tube and Vimeo.
- New ‘Adventure Bites Loop’ - an hour long repeat screening of the festival’s best shorts.
- Extra ski/board films screening to accommodate the strong field of ski/board entries.
- Extra Young Adventurers showing - afternoon matinee in addition to the Saturday and Sunday morning showings which sold out last year.
- Feature length movies - 3 feature length film screenings including big budget ski hits All.I.Can and The Art of Flight.
- New charity auction on behalf of Community Action Nepal.
SPEAKER AND FILM PROGRAMME DETAILS:
20.15 Thursday 1st March - pre-festival Expert Night - Sheffield Young Guns
Sheffield’s Mountain Bike scene is arguably the most vibrant in the country with a wealth of superb cross-country trails in the Peak District, a thriving downhill community and a number of promising young riders hellbent on following in the tracks of local legend, Steve Peat. So, what better way for the Bike Expert Night to celebrate that scene than to take a close look at some of the young guns making a name for themselves in a diverse range of bike disciplines? James ‘Swinny’ Swinden, Josh ‘Loosedog’ Lewis, Annie Last and Abbie Taylor are Sheffield hard-chargers with talent to burn. Local mountain biker, scribe and rabble-rouser John Horscroft and special guest Steve Peat will be asking the questions and finding out what makes the next generation of super-shredders tick.
James ‘Swinny’ Swinden has steadily built a reputation for phenomenal pace in the National Downhill Series and has a huge viral video presence. 2012 however could be the big year for Swinny as he has just joined the Steve Peat Syndicate and moved up to the Elite category in this year’s series.
Josh ‘Loosedog’ Lewis has a similar story to Swinny. Known as one of Steve Peat’s protégées, he’s got big boots to fill. But with a huge personality and a growing profile in the UK scene, he’s another Junior rider to look out for. There’s every chance we’ll see him moving up the rankings in 2012.
Abbie Taylor is an Olympic hopeful in the newly added sport of BMX Racing. A World Silver Medalist in 2011, she regularly mixes it up with the top Female Elite riders. She is now receiving help from British Cyclings’s Olympic Development program which could be all the help she needs to take things to the next level.
20.30 Saturday 10th March Chris Akrigg interviewed by Richard Cunynghame
Trials Mountain Biking legend Chris Akrigg will take to the stage at the Sheffield Adventure Film Festival to screen a series of his films that he both produces and stars in. With fellow rider, film-maker and writer Richard Cunynghame interviewing him live on stage, they will discuss everything from his first experiences of mountain biking at trials competitions through to his transition of making it an art-form with his films. In May last year the Yorkshire-born rider was faced with a long road to recovery after he fell 40 foot off a cliff, a challenge that he will talk about alongside elaborating on his unique attitude to the sport that lands him in such situations but has also gained him many plaudits over the years. Interspersed with stills and behind the scenes footage, the event with be carried off with the same sense of humour that makes his films such fun.
SPECIAL BIKE FILM SCREENINGS
Bike Films 1 - 21.15 Friday 9th March, repeated 15.30 Saturday 10th March
Collective Documentary 2
A mountain biking short with a stonking soundtrack from The Collective - a worldwide network of riders united by their love of riding bikes in the dirt.
From the Inside Out
Incredible riding, flawless cinematography, stunning scenary - everything we've come to expect from The Coastal Crew and Anthill Films - and their latest offering 'From the Inside Out' doesn't disappoint. Filmed in British Colombia, Canada, the birthplace of freeride mountain biking, it features some of the world's best freeriders. Watch out for the awesome moving train jump!
Red Bull Rampage
The Red Bull rampage (held in the Utah Desert) combines the creativity and unrestricted ethos of freeride mountain biking but adds a competitive edge. The world's top riders (including Brit Gee Atherton) were free to choose whatever line they dared between the start gate at the top of an unforgiving sandstone ridge and finish line 1,500 vertical feet below.
Bike Films 2 - 18.00 Saturday 10th March
3 Minute Gaps
For 2 years the crew of 3 Minute Gaps followed the world's best mountain bike racers - including Danny Hart and Gee Atherton - around the world through every round of the 2009 and 2010 World Cup Series and World Championships.
Industrial Revolutions
Danny MacAskill is the definitive adventure sports viral overnight success story. 3 years ago the Scottish street trials riders uploaded a video of his bike stunts filmed by his flatmate Dave Sowerby - it's now been watched over 28 million times. 'Industrial Revolutions' has already clocked up more than 3 million hits. Turn off the iPad, sit back and enjoy MacAskill in cinematic style.
Into Thin Air
Bike-mountaineering takes mountain biking to a whole new level. Harald Phillip and Martin Falkner hike up then bike-ski and crevasse hop through snow fields, following hairy turns along awesome World War 1 singletrack trails down Monte Cevedale (3778m, Italy).
The Trail Collector
Tom Malecha is an outdoor enthusiast and amateur film-maker living in Zurich. As he puts it: "People collect all kinds of things. On my first day on a Mountainbike, I started to collect trails. And this is my collection." Follow his adventures along gorgeous Alpine trails.
VCA 2010
Cyclist's eye-view of Chile's annual urban downhill stunt race through Valparaiso. Mind out for the dog!
11am Sat 10th March & Sun 11th, repeated 14.30 Sunday Young Adventurers
This is child suitable, family-friendly screening including 2 bike films
VCA 2010
Cyclist's eye-view of Chile's annual urban downhill stunt race through Valparaiso. Mind out for the dog!
Jackson to School
5 year old Jackson Goldstone goes to kindergarten - doing huge drops and tricks through forest trails, skateboard parks and a brilliant mini-boardwalk run, all on his balance bike.
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS:
PRESS IMAGES HERE
ShAFF is the weekend of 9-11 March 2012 (www.shaff.co.uk) at the art deco Sheffield Showroom cinema - the UK’s biggest independent cinema outside London. (15 Paternoster Row, Sheffield, S1 2BX / tel 0114 275 7727 or book online)
- Film screenings are mixed in with talks and lectures on epic climbs, runs and rides by world-class adventurers.
- It’s great value - one ticket buys you a multi-film screening so you can see several films in one hit. Passionate about your sport? Then try our specialist selections. Want a high energy hit? Then book our Adrenaline showing. Fancy inspiration and escapism? Try the Adventure Medley. - For a family friendly weekend try our morning Young Adventurer showings were both sell outs last year so this year we’ll also have afternoon matinees with urban orienteering afterwards.
- Chill out in the bar/cafe between screenings with live music, comfy-seating and free wifi. During the day grab a light lunch and coffee with friends and in the evenings, book dinner made by experienced chefs with fresh, local produce. Why not try the great selection of on tap or bottled beers, wines and ciders - not forgetting the awesome cake cabinet! - Getting there’s easy
- We’re just across the road from the mainline train station with regular services to the Peak District, Manchester and the UK, there are also local buses, trams and a plenty of nearby car- parks. - We’re growing in the face of a global recession. Now in its 7th year, for the past six years 100% of the audience said they’d come back again and recommend it to a friend. ShAFF 2011 was our best ever year with a 77% increase in ticket sales, an amazing film programme and a packed series of lectures including the legendary Steve Peat.
Contacts:
Festival Director, Matt Heason, Heason Events - [email protected] or 1433 639378 / 07966 529219
Lissa Cook, PR & Media consultant, Heason Events - [email protected] / or 01663 751 126 / 07818 411 791
Follow us on facebook and twitter at @Heason_Lissa and @HeasonEvents
