Sponsors

Messages from our sponsors

Dear festivalgoer,

Once again, film is the foundation of the festival – a high-quality offering that will charm, shock, make you roar with laughter and artfully find its way into the nooks and crannies of your heart of hearts. The goal? To leave no viewer untouched; to never bore; to push boundaries without alienating; and to experiment together.

As announced here last year, the kykNET Silwerskerm Festival is opening its doors even wider this year to include independent films in the competition, because this reflects what’s happening in the broader film industry. This is an industry undergoing major change – and we’ll be talking about that this week in Camps Bay, because the future will depend, in part, on what happens and what new ideas are hatched in this beach-chic hotel.

Our future will hinge on getting two things right – besides funding, of course. First, to explore themes close to viewers’ lived experiences in fresh ways; second, to blow their world wide open with entirely new ways of seeing and storytelling. After all, no one should ever leave a cinema as exactly the same person who walked in 90 minutes earlier.

Also, buckle up for exciting short films created by up-and-coming new voices, and for a glimpse into what’s happening in the world of kykNET TV.

Film and TV feed our souls – and for countless lucky individuals, they also provide a way of making a charmed living.

Thank you for being here to watch, absorb and dream together about what should come next.

Waldimar

We are very excited to welcome back the kykNET Silwerskerm Festival to Camps Bay for the 2026 instalment of this flagship South African film festival. For the past 13 years, the Silwerskermfees has done an incredible job of showcasing and developing Afrikaans productions, and I cannot wait to see what this year’s programme holds.

Every year at Silwerskerm, we are treated to an incredible range of storytelling – whether in features, shorts, documentaries or television series – and audiences are left in no doubt about the health of South African filmmaking.

As South Africa’s undisputed film and TV capital, the City of Cape Town is proud to support the festival, and we appreciate its contribution to this important sector of our local economy. Not to mention the platform it provides to exciting young talent looking to break into the industry.

I wish everyone attending, as well as everyone whose work will be screened, a wonderful 2026 Silwerskerm Festival.

– Geordin Hill-Lewis, Cape Town Mayor

Connecting South Africans to the power of stories

At Vuma, we exist to empower ordinary people to do extraordinary things and are proud to sponsor the kykNET Silwerskerm Festival, which celebrates and supports extraordinary South African storytellers.

As the nation’s leading fibre network, we know that even the best stories need a reliable connection to reach their audience. By providing fast and robust connectivity we ensure that our local creatives can reach their audiences, across the globe. With over 1 000 schools connected to free high-speed internet, supporting youth learnerships and connecting underserved areas, our commitment is to keep our nation connected to what is possible in the digital economy.

Congratulations, kykNET Silweskerm Festival for keeping South African stories alive.

– Simon Butler, Chief Commercial Officer: Vumatel

The international and local film industry, as well as kykNET, have undergone far-reaching changes in recent years. The Afrikaans language landscape has too. Challenges regarding opportunities and funding remain a reality. But here we are once again – on our way to Camps Bay, eager for what the 14th Silwerskerm Festival will deliver. Small as it may be, for a small language, it is undeniably the most important incubator and showcase for the Afrikaans film industry, and the place where our stars shine at their brightest. The Dagbreek Trust is therefore grateful for this precious, intimate jewel of a festival, and proud to contribute.

– Astrid de Vos, Dagbreek Trust: Executive Trustee

Congratulations to the kykNET Silwerskerm Film Festival team on 14 years of film festival excellence! The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) is proud to support a festival which celebrates and shapes the best of the South African film industry. Over the years, the festival has grown into a vital platform for South Africa’s Afrikaans productions, showcasing our stunning shooting locations alongside the depth and intensity of Afrikaans cinema. The kykNET Silwerskerm Film Festival is one of the most well organised film festivals with visible attention paid to the curation of its programming, making it enjoyable for diverse audiences – also those who don’t speak or understand Afrikaans.

We are thrilled to be sponsoring another edition and partnering with the festival, as this is an integral part of our mandate to grow and strengthen the multicultural audiovisual sector in the country.

Congratulations to all filmmakers whose productions will be screened at the festival. We wish the organisers and attendees a successful festival and a rewarding experience in the beautiful Camps Bay.

– Ms. Onke Dumeko, NFVF: Acting Chief Executive Officer