BMC ShAFF is calling on people who love the outdoors to seek out acts of adventurous rebellion as it launches ticket sales for this year’s festival, which takes place at the Showroom Cinema from 20-22 March.
Coronavirus update: Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, ShAFF is cancelled. It is being looked into whether an autumn ShAFF event can be organised instead, however rearranging the whole festival will not be possible.
Now entering its 15th year, BMC ShAFF is the largest urban adventure film festival in the UK, and the only one in a city with a national park within its limits. This amazing setting has inspired an event that brings people together to celebrate outdoor life and the adventures it offers. ShAFF will invigorate and inspire you with the best new adventure films from around the world, showing off everything the outdoors has to offer.
Alex Messenger, Head of Communications at the BMC, says: “ShAFF is a perfect fit with our core values of adventure, community and sustainability, and we look forward to making 2020 the best year yet. As well as films, adventure and a great party, we’ll be using the festival to launch the BMC Climate Project: an innovative way that you can make a difference to both our local landscapes and the global climate fight. Plus, all BMC members can get 15% off tickets .”
#BMCShAFF
Look out for these BMC sessions happening throughout the weekend! BMC Members receive a 15% discount on tickets (simply quote your BMC membership number when booking in person at the box office or over the phone.)
The Big Bang
Saturday 21st March 19:30-21:00
As part of her Welsh and English tour with BMC and Patagonia , Emma Twyford will be presenting her award-winning film The Big Bang alongside director David Petts with an exclusive Q&A session after the screening. The session also features Niall Grimes and prizes!
Emma Twyford is on an ambitious journey to becoming one of the most respected climbers in the UK. In 2017, Emma visited the iconic crag of ‘Lower Pen Twyrn’ to ‘’see what a 9a feels like’’. Follow Emma’s story as she overcomes her own physical and mental limits, has way too much fun, and pushes to climb 9a – ‘’The Big Bang.’’
BMC Women in Adventure Screening: Presented by Montane
Saturday 21st March 14:15-15:30
Come and watch the shortlisted BMC Women in Adventure film competition entries and be the first to see who are crowned the 2020 winners. 30 fantastic female-led adventure films were entered into the sixth annual BMC TV and Womenclimb competition.
From caving to cleaning up the Arctic, exploring human spirit to addressing anxiety in adventure, leaving your comfort zone and seeing what you can really achieve if you put your mind to it, this year's films showcase a vast variety of adventures undertaken by women across the board.
Women in Adventure Panel and Workshop
Saturday 17:30-19:00
Back with a new structure for this year, this FREE Women in Adventure 2020 Panel and Workshop is bringing you a rotating interactive session where those interested in finding out more about the outdoor industry will be able to move through the tables with our special guests from the industry: These rotating sessions will be a mixture of presentations, talks, informal Q&As and advice giving with sessions about:
🌳 How to develop skills for the Outdoors Industry with Womenclimb Founder Emily Pitts
📽️ How to make a great film: from passion project to commercial work with award-winning film makers Emma Brennand, Anna Paxton and Emma Crome
🎞️ The Outdoor Film Industry: Who chooses? with ShAFF Head Judge Claire Carter and European Outdoor Film Tour Programmer Paula Flach
🧗 How to get into Mountain Rescue: Ask the experts with Mountain Rescue candidates
🚵 Volunteer to President: volunteer skills in the outdoors with BMC President Lynn Robinson
🔬 Research into women in the outdoors and adventure with Senior Lecturer Adele Doran
This will be a valuable event to attend whether for networking, looking for the next step to get you involved in your own Women in Adventure project or if you're looking for new opportunities and ideas to improve on your own film making.
Planning a wild hillwalking adventure with Alex Roddie: presented by BMC
Friday 20th March 20:00-21:00
Long-distance hiker Alex Roddie's free talk will kick off the ShAFF weekend and should be on the calendar of any avid hikers! Joined by BMC President Lynn Robinson, lifelong hillwalker Alex will discuss lightweight backpacking, gear, tips and tricks, getting the experience necessary for those ambitious routes, and how his appreciation for wildness has changed as he's become more aware of its fragility.
The Climate Project Launch
Friday 20th March 7pm
Did you know that there’s a way to capture more carbon per square metre than a tropical rainforest? Out on the wilds of our peat bog moorlands grows an amazing little plant called sphagnum. When sphagnum is growing healthily, this plant powerhouse takes excess carbon out of the atmosphere.
We’re going full green and launching our new campaign “The Climate Project” at ShAFF – a new way for people to fight climate change on a local level. We will be supporting the work of Moors for the Future in our sphagnum campaigns. You’ll be able to support The Climate Project through our travel insurance, membership, the BMC shop and individual donations.
We hope that other organisations in the UK outdoor industry and those interested in getting involved will join us for its launch. If so, please email emma@thebmc.co.uk for an invite.
Full details on how everyone can join this worthy project, and how you can get updates before the launch, can be found on The Climate Project website .
WATCH: BMC Monthly News Show: The ShAFF Special
VIDEO
Acts of Rebellion – The new theme for 2020
As adventurers, we push the limits, challenge the norm and redefine the meaning of brave. This year, ShAFF wants to inspire you to find the rebel in yourself, to think outside the box, and to come together with your tribe to re-shape the world for the better. For the love of the land that feeds our adventures, and for the love of the people we adventure with. How will you use your adventurous skills and spirit - and what will your act of rebellion be?
SHAFF’s pledge to the planet in 2020 – and beyond
We’re all facing a changing world – and ShAFF is genuinely and humbly trying to do their very best in a climate that demands that we challenge ourselves and our preconceptions to the max. In 2020 ShAFF are introducing an ethical film stamp, showcasing what the film industry can do to protect and enhance the landscapes they portray, sourcing local, supporting sustainable consumer choices, promoting a repair culture, and taking hands-on action through a Rebel Raids event series. Read the ShAFF Mission Statement in full on the ShAFF website.
Festival Director Matt Heason says: “I believe that if we love the wild places we adventure in, we also have a duty to protect them. Adventurers often push the limits and challenge the norm, and this year we want ShAFF to inspire everyone to use their adventurous skills and spirit to come together to shape the world for the better. That’s why we’re asking you what your act of rebellion will be.”
Whatever your adventures during the festival, everyone is invited to come together for a celebratory drink at the free Saturday night party in the Showroom bar on 21 March.
Go beyond the films with free festival experiences
ShAFF is as much about the adventure as it is about the films. As well as inspirational screenings there is a whole weekend of experiences lined up to inspire you to get together with your tribe, think about your next challenge and maybe even make the world a better place along the way.
Hear from adventurers who chose the path less travelled with the Adventure Unboxed events, kit yourself out at the Second Life and Preloved Gear Sale or get hands on with skills sessions and Rebel Raids.
For those who just want to tread with a lighter footprint, there will be lots of practical tips for a more sustainable adventure lifestyle at the ShAFF Repair Cafe and in the exhibitions from ShAFF partners in the Outpost. With our programme of guided runs and bike rides, you'll also have loads of opportunities to put all the inspiration from our amazing film sessions into practice.
Can’t wait or want a taste of what to expect? Join ShAFF for their early preview of the Best of ShAFF 2020 at Regather on 12 March or Cycle to the Cinema on 18 March.
We want to say a big thanks to every BMC member who continues to support us through the Coronavirus crisis.
From weekly Facebook Lives and GB Climbing home training videos, to our access team working to re-open the crags and fight for your mountain access, we couldn’t do it without you.
Did you know that we've just launched a new U27 membership offer for just £1.50 / month? And with full membership from £2.50 / month, it's never been easier to join and support our work:
https://www.thebmc.co.uk/join-the-bmc-for-1-month-U27-membership
« Back