It started with a flat tyre and a cold beer.
A tired British rider pulled up at Hotel De Rust one Sunday
afternoon having nursed a punctured Royal Enfield Classic 500
across a hundred kilometres of Karoo road. Nobody planned a
film festival that day. But over cold drinks and eventually a
good bottle of red, the conversation turned to De Rust itself.
Its roads, its scenery, its character. The idea that this small
town deserved to be a destination, not just a pass-through.
Before the night was out, someone said the words out loud.
There is a Motorcycle Film Festival waiting to happen here.
That seed took two years to germinate. Then one morning in
December 2024 a switch flipped, and the South African
Motorcycle Film Festival was born.
The first edition exceeded every expectation. Eleven films on
continuous loop, two wine estates pouring, local artists opening
their studios across town, and over 150 people arriving almost
entirely through word of mouth. The atmosphere was warm,
unhurried, and full of genuine conversation. Audiences watched
films they had not expected to be moved by. There were silences
when films ended. That held, suspended moment before anyone said
anything. There were tears. That is what SAMFF was built for.
The second edition raises the bar completely.
SAMFF 2026 takes place on September 26 in De Rust, Western Cape,
in the heart of the Klein Karoo on the iconic Route 62. The
R10,000 grand prize is on the table for the best film. The
physical festival is a proper base camp with live screenings in
a converted vintage motor workshop at Hotel De Rust, a vintage
bike exhibition, cold drinks at the bar, and the kind of real
conversation that only happens when creative people gather around
something they love.
You do not have to be in De Rust to be part of this.
Submissions are open to creators anywhere in the world. You do
not need a film school background. You do not need expensive
equipment. You need a motorcycle, a story, and the willingness
to press record. The three minute format and 16:9 aspect ratio
were chosen deliberately. A well crafted short in that format
can travel, can find an audience it never expected, and can hold
a room of strangers completely still.
SAMFF sits at the intersection of adventure, creativity and
community. It is for the seasoned filmmaker and the first time
creator equally. It is for the rider who has never thought of
themselves as a storyteller but has a road they have been meaning
to ride and a story worth telling.
South Africa has some of the most breathtaking riding in the
world. The Klein Karoo is waiting.
Come and find us in De Rust.
🏆 Grand Prix -- Best Film
R10,000 cash prize & Free Weekend Stay at Hotel De Rust
Awarded to the film that best captures the spirit of the ride across all
categories. Judged on storytelling, emotional impact, creativity, and
alignment with motorcycling culture.
Posted on all Socials
🥈 Runner-Up -- Second Place
Sponsor prize package
Posted all over socials + sponsor-donated gear and merchandise.
🥉 Third Place
Sponsor prize package
Posted on all. socials + sponsor-donated gear and merchandise.
