RECORD NUMBER OF LOCAL & BRITISH FILM-MAKERS
31st Jan 2013
THIS YEAR WE'VE GOT MORE FILMS, MORE SCREENS, A RECORD NUMBER OF LOCAL & BRITISH FILM-MAKERS & MORE FEMALE ATHLETES THAN EVER BEFORE.
The 8th Sheffield Adventure Film Festival film is a showcase for local and British film-making talent with a record number of UK films being screened this year. A quarter of the 80 adventure, travel and extreme sports films are British produced. There are also more female athletes featured than ever before.
Festival Director Matt Heason said: “I’m proud to be able to showcase so many British and local Peak District and Sheffield film-makers and athletes this year. A quarter of all our films are home-grown including Alastair Lee’s Autana, Jen Randall’s Push It, Image Impossible’s Driven to Despair, Adam Hocking’s Meltdown and both long and short versions of Hot Aches‘ Wide Boyz. Chris McLean’s back with two cracking surf shorts. There’s lots of local talent too. Peak District based Polished Project are showing Echoes and Dave featuring British climbers Nick Bullock and Dave McLeod. Sheffield student Ismar Badzic directed snowboard film The White Line. Sheffield film-maker Rich Heap is premiering The Dragon’s Back. It shows there’s really healthy competition out there, we hope fueled by festivals like Kendal and ShAFF.”
SHAFF PR Lissa Cook said: “I’m really pleased that there are more films featuring female athletes this year. ShAFF’s all about inspiring people to get out in the great outdoors. It’s really important that women have strong role models not just in traditional sports but also in extreme and adventure sports. We’re especially delighted director Jen Randall is showing her climbing film ‘Push It‘ about women climber’s pushing their limits. My personal highlight is My Life: The Big Climb in which Andy Kirkpatrick’s 13 year old daughter, Ella, become the youngest ever girl to summit the big wall of Yosemite's El Capitan.”
NEW FOR 2013:
- Our 2013 trailer by award-winning film-maker Alastair Lee with soundtrack by up & coming Sheffield six piece Screaming Maldini has already topped 18,000 views.
- More films, more screens - 80 films (1,680 minutes in total). With ticket sales up by 44% last year the festival’s growing with five indoor screens and one outdoor screen.
- Cityscape Cinema - Free open air Saturday evening cinema & extreme sports athlete Q&A at the amphitheatre opposite the Showroom Cinema. Brought to you by Red Bull. (Films & athletes to be announced mid Feb).
- The Dragon’s Back Premiere - Award winning cameraman and filmmaker Rich Heap captured last year’s rerun of the legendary 320k/17,000m ascent race along the mountainous spine of Wales. Followed by Q&A with 2012 winner Steve Birkinshaw, 1992 ladies’ winner Helene Whitaker and organiser Shane Ohly.
- Teen Screens - after 3 sell-out family-friendly showings last year we’ve now got 4 Young Adventurer Sessions for young children and two new Teen Screens.
- ‘Single Shot’ Adventure/Peak District Photo competition - One Shot, One Winner, Open to All. (Deadline 11th Feb).
- Adventure Photography Exhibition - Alex Ekins premieres the stills from WideBoyz alongside Lucasz Warzecha and four other landscape/adventure photographers.
- Download movies - we’ve teamed up with Steepedge to offer ShAFF visitors 20% off downloads of their collection of top adventure sports movies.
FILMS FEATURING LOCAL FILM-MAKERS/ATHLETES
Dave (Polished Project)
What does it take to get to be a top climber? Scottish climber Dave McLeod reflects on lessons learned during a career built on making first ascents of the hardest possible routes. Top tips on embracing the fear of failure, dealing with the nerves and enjoying the hard work of training. A must-watch for aspiring climbers.
Echoes (Polished Project)
"Climbing was tough at times but never as tough as working in a prison block". Nick Bullock discusses escaping his life as a prison officer in a high security jail for life as a professional mountaineer. A thought-provoking reflection on freedom and risk filmed at the Outside Cafe by Peak District based film-makers 'Polished Project' during the launch of Nick's acclaimed book 'Echoes'
My Life: The Big Climb (Alleycat Films)
13 year old Ella becomes the youngest ever girl to summit the big wall of Yosemite's El Capitan with her "smelly, snoring" dad, Sheffield climber Andy Kirkpatrick, in tow. Imagine doing 1,000 pull-ups a day for four days without enough food or sleep.
The Dragon’s Back (Rich Heap)
Award-winning Sheffield cameraman and filmmaker Rich Heap captures one of the world's toughest running events. The original Dragon’s Back Race happened just once in September 1992 and ever since, it has been whispered about with a mix of awe and trepidation. Tracing the mountainous spine of Wales from Conwy Castle to Carreg Cennen Castle this incredible 5-day journey is approximately 320 k long with 17,000 m ascent. Follow the exploits of those who dared take on the even tougher 2012 course including all the 3,000 ft Welsh mountains on day one.
The White Line
Button Up Productions eschew the helicam/big budget movie approach to get back to basics and focus on real riders juggling their passion for snow and adrenaline with the reality of working full time jobs and providing for their families. After having been caught in an avalanche snowboarder Jake Cornish is forced to face his fears and responsibilities. Director Ismar Badzic is a Sheffield Student.
BRITISH FILM-MAKERS
Autana (Posing Productions)
Termites, tarantulas and talcum powder – this is a climbing film like no other. Adventure climber Leo Houlding and film maker Al Lee are back – this time with Sean Leary and Jason Pickles as the team head deep into the Amazon jungle on a covert mission to attempt the first ascent of the east face of the remote Cerro Autana. Original and experimental with possibly the world’s best ever bivi. (Note - An extra special thank you from us to Autana director Al Lee who produced our Sheffield Adventure Film Festival trailer)
Beyond the Scars (Sea Saw Productions)
The harshest of British weather, the best of British surfing. Film-maker Chris Mclean and writer Dan Crockett team up to produce another poetic homage to surfing the North Sea. In this follow-up to last year’s ‘Uncommon Ideals’, professional big wave journeyman Gabe Davies and young hellrider Sandy Kerr head for the bewitching Orkneys. Simply stunning.
Fathoms Left to Fall (Sea Saw Productions)
One epic day of huge surf during March 2012 at Mullaghmore Head, County Sligo, featuring top riders like Gabe Davies. Director Chris McClean makes real virtue of the long distance lens to give a stunning sense of scale. Surfing magazine sums it up nicely: “Cinematography to make you feel like you’re there — grab your life vest, your thickest suit and your balls to get in character.”
Driven to Despair (Image Impossible)
An idiot's guide to getting lost in the desert courtesy of Ian Burton, Andy Cornfield and Ben Talbot. When Ian's permit to film in Yosemite's refused the trio head for Namibia with almost no money and no guide book. The best film about some of the worst climbing and map reading you'll ever see. (Strong language warning!)
Goodbye Cambridge (Ampisound)
Cambridge based film maker Scott Bass has known Austin 'Ozzy' Phillips for more than ten years. Phillips, who recently moved to London, was the first person he got to practice Parkour with. The pair made this witty short video as a thank you to the city.
Janapar - Love on a Bike (James Newton)
Isn’t there more to life than this? 23-year-old Tom Allen escapes the rat race to search for the answer by cycling 12,000 miles round the world. His dream’s thrown into turmoil when he falls in love and has to choose between settling down or continuing his adventure. Will he choose romance or the road?
Jenny Jones: Permanent Vocation (Relentless)
"I never went into snowboarding thinking I was going to be a pro". Jenny Jones - the UK's most successful pro snowboarder and three times X Games Gold Medallist - shares the secrets of her success and the challenges she's had to overcome to make a living doing what she loves most.
Meltdown (Adam Hocking)
James MacHaffie completes Johnny Dawes’ great unfinished 9a project at Dinorwig Quarry achieving a first ascent of Britain's hardest slab climb to date. Dawes' poetic descriptions accompany footage of Caff's gymnastic climbing.
Push It (Light Shed Productions)
Filmmaker Jen Randall and her new-found climbing partner Jackie Sequeira prepare for their first ever big wall on El Capitan in Yosemite meeting some of their heroines along the way including Mina Leslie-Wujastyk and Natalie Berry. An inspirational story told with self-deprecating humour and a refreshing lack of egotism.
Road Bike Party (Robin Kitchin / AshtonBikes)
UK trials bike legend Martyn Ashton takes the £10k carbon road bike used by Team Sky's Bradley Wiggins to win the Tour de France for a ride with a difference. Some of the toughest stunts you'll ever see pulled on a carbon road bike and amazingly only one puncture during filming.
Taming the Bear (2XS Films)
British snowboarder Julia Pickering is the first woman to climb and board down the 3 highest mountains in Arctic circle. A funny, down-to-earth, honest account of her first descent of Alaska's Mt Bear with her husband Warwick in support. (PS If you've ever wondered whether your relationship's strong enough to cope with being pinned in a basecamp tent in a snow storm, watch this!)
The Endless Winter (Level Films)
Mark Harris and Mitch Corbett are two surfers on a mission – the search for the holy grail of British surfing – a truly world-cass undiscovered wave. En route from Lands End to Britain’s most northerly and arguably best break in Thurso via the world’s longest ride along the Severn Bore the pair trace the colourful history of one of the most unusual and coldest surf scenes on the planet.
The Forgotten Athletes (Tim Shieff)
All eyes were on London's Olympic and Paralympic stars last summer but as this witty short reminds us - not all athletes need funding, world records, spectators and medals. A fitting tribute to the art and sport of free-running featuring parkour’s finest -Kie Willis, Phil Doyle, Paul 'Blue’ Joseph and Tim 'Livewire' Shieff.
The Shaper (Crayfish Films)
Crayfish Films take us into the shaping bay to meet 'Chief' - a former pro surfer burned-out from a clotted cream addiction. (His ultimate board is the Wave F*****!) We're promised the Chief will return as a character in a feature length film which promises to be ‘Spinal Tap’ for surfers.
WideBoyz (Hot Aches)
It's like ultimate fighting with a rock. The world of offwidth crack climbing is a strange sub-culture rumoured to be dominated by knuckle-dragging, bar-brawling dirt-bags! The climbing is tough, painful and bloody and there are hardly any routes in the UK. Undeterred, two British climbers, Pete Whittaker and Tom Randall, complete a brutal two-year training regime (mostly spent hanging upside down in their Sheffield basement) before embarking on an audacious tour of the USA and a first ascent of the world's hardest off-width - Century Crack.
FILMS FEATURING FEMALE ATHLETES:
Push It
Filmmaker Jen Randall and her new-found climbing partner Jackie Sequeira prepare for their first ever big wall on El Capitan in Yosemite meeting some of their heroines along the way including Mina Leslie-Wujastyk and Natalie Berry. An inspirational story told with self-deprecating humour and a refreshing lack of egotism.
My Life: The Big Climb
13 year old Ella becomes the youngest ever girl to summit the big wall of Yosemite's El Capitan with her "smelly, snoring" dad, Sheffield climber Andy Kirkpatrick, in tow. Imagine doing 1,000 pull-ups a day for four days without enough food or sleep.
Ready To Fly
"It's like my future in the hands of a bunch of old dudes!" In 2009 American ski jumper Lindsay Van made the longest ever jump at Whistler beating both the men's and women's records. Follow the emotional roller coaster battle with the IOC for women's ski-jumping to become an Olympic Sport.
Taming the Bear
British snowboarder Julia Pickering is the first woman to climb and board down the 3 highest mountains in Arctic circle. A funny, down-to-earth, honest account of her first descent of Alaska's Mt Bear with her husband Warwick in support. (PS If you've ever wondered whether your relationship's strong enough to cope with being pinned in a basecamp tent in a snow storm, watch this!)
First Love
Follows the lives of three passionate young girls from Phillip Island, Australia and documents their trip to Hawaii – the first step on their journey to making a career out of surfing.
Collective Dreams
How do you shape the highly individual discipline of endurance running into a team sport? Collective Dreams charts the growth of ultra-distance trail racing through the eyes of Team Saloman, showing how the older, more experienced athletes like Kilian Jornet and Anna Frost inspire the younger runners.
Jenny Jones: Permanent Vocation
"I never went into snowboarding thinking I was going to be a pro". Jenny Jones - the UK's most successful pro snowboarder and three times X Games Gold Medallist - shares the secrets of her success and the challenges she's had to overcome to make a living doing what she loves most.
Also watch out for mountain bikers Rachel Atherton and Tracy Mosely in Strength in Numbers, climber Lynn Hill in China Roc Trip and skier Kelly Sildaru in Pour Vous Servir, wingsuit proxmity flyer (and nurse) Ellen Brennan in Birdmen.
Notes to editors:
- ShAFF is the weekend of 1-3 March 2013 (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 from mid January at www.showroomworkstation.org.uk/)
- We’re growing in the face of a global recession. Now in its 8th year, for the past seven years 100% of the audience said they’d come back again and recommend it to a friend. ShAFF 2012 was our best ever year with a 44% increase in ticket sales and more than 130,000 views of our trailer.
- To download high res images for editorial use visit our press room: http://www.shaff.co.uk/news-and-press/press-room/
For trailers, news and other events Like the Heason Events Facebook page www.facebook.com/heason.events. Follow us on twitter at @HeasonEvents and @Heason_Lissa #SheffAdvFilmFest
For more info contact Lissa Cook on 07818 411 791 / 01663 751 126 or [email protected]
