The original trail running film tour.
Brought to life on the big screen.
Born in South Africa
Trails In Motion was launched in South Africa in 2013 from a simple idea: trail running has incredible stories to tell… and those stories deserve to be seen on the big screen.
The festival was founded by James Hallett, a passionate trail runner, filmmaker and founder of Go Trail Media. From the beginning, his vision went beyond creating a film tour. He wanted to build a platform where filmmakers could share authentic stories about trail and ultra running, while bringing local running communities together for a unique cinematic experience.
What began within South Africa’s emerging trail running community soon travelled far beyond its borders. Over the years, Trails In Motion screenings have been hosted in hundreds of cities across more than 30 countries, connecting tens of thousands of runners, filmmakers, adventurers and outdoor enthusiasts through a shared love of the trails.
From left to right: Dean Leslie, James Hallett, Ryan Sandes, and Ryno Griesel.
A new chapter, from Montréal to the world
In 2025, Trails In Motion entered a new chapter when Canadian trail runners Marline Côté and Vincent Champagne took over the festival.
As trail runners themselves, the project is deeply personal to them. They know the feeling of standing on a start line, spending hours moving through the mountains, sharing kilometers with friends, and discovering just how much can happen, within themselves and between people, on a trail.
They also share a deep love of cinema and its extraordinary ability to capture those experiences and turn them into stories that can move someone thousands of kilometers away.
Vincent Champagne and Marline Côté, co-directors of the Trails in Motion Film Tour, now headquartered in Montreal, Canada.
For the community, by the community
Community has been at the heart of Trails In Motion since the beginning. Our screenings are hosted by race organizers, running clubs, outdoor organizations, independent cinemas, retailers and passionate individuals who want to create something special for their local trail community.
A Trails In Motion screening is therefore more than a night at the movies. It is an excuse to gather. To sit together in the dark, laugh, dream, sometimes cry, discover places we have never been and people we have never met and leave wanting to lace up our shoes and head outside.
More than a decade after the first screening
that remains our purpose :
- Celebrate trail running through the art of film.
- Support the people who tell their stories.
- Bring communities together.
- Keep inspiring people, everywhere, to explore what lies beyond the next turn in the trail… and in their lives.