25 years Cine Tirol: the “Filmfischer” celebrate birthday

Tyrol, a small country in the heart of the Alps, is known far beyond the borders of Europe. There are many reasons for this. One who has contributed significantly to the Tyrol's success story is Johannes Köck, Head of the Cine Tirol Film Commission. Since its founding in 1998, Köck and his team have brought countless film productions to the Tyrol, generating significant economic effects for the state and establishing the Tyrol as an attractive location for national and international film projects. From Hollywood to Bollywood, Tyrol has been the setting for numerous cinema and television feature films, TV series and serials, documentaries, music videos and commercials.

It was an honor and a great pleasure to meet with Johannes Köck, who let me take a look behind the scenes.

Once upon a time ..

It all began in the 90s with an idea of the Tyrolean director and producer Erich Hörtnagl. By a stroke of luck, he met the then managing director of the Tirol Werbungjosef Margreiter, who commissioned Margreiter commissioned Hörtnagl with a feasibility study, which finally paved the way for Cine Tirol as a separate business segment under the umbrella of Tirol Werbung. At the request of Josef Margreiter, Johannes Köck, at that time head of communications, production and media spokesman for Tirol Werbung, took over responsibility for the Cine Tirol - even though, as he says of himself, he did not have much film experience.

Joy and gratitude

Johannes Köck is modest, but it is thanks to him and his persistence that the first „Bergdoktor“ film was shot in Wildermieming in 1992. However, the official founding of Cine Tirol did not take place until April 1, 1998. Already in the first year the organization could with the comedy „Helden in Tirol“ a full success. Now, 25 years later, Köck still fills his work and the many years of cooperation with his colleagues with gratitude and joy: gratitude that the original idea has worked out so well, and joy at all that has already been achieved - especially the positive economic effects.

According to calculations, an incredible eight billion people have seen moving images from Tyrol. But Köck is not only concerned with numbers. What really excites him are the exciting and touching stories as well as the encounters with filmmakers from all over the world who come to Tyrol to shoot here. All of these experiences give him great pleasure - as do the trips he takes to bring new film projects to Tyrol.

Small team - great success

The team at Cine Tirol currently consists of four very dedicated employees. It is amazing how such a small team can manage such a workload. "With a basic attitude, which of course has to do with enthusiasm, passion and heart and soul for the cause. A basic attitude that we take care of every project - no matter how big or small - with the utmost mindfulness. Whether it's a film student or a Hollywood producer, everyone gets the same attention," explains Johannes Köck. "In the meantime, we are blessed with a lot of experience and a good location archive of around 700 film locations. We are grateful for the cooperation with all tourism associations, where we were able to establish our film experts over time. We have, so to speak, 34 Cine Tirol outposts that we can call on for advice and support."

Film lovers

Tyrol has one big plus point as a filming location: its inhabitants are extremely film-friendly. "That can't be taken for granted," emphasizes Johannes Köck, knocking on wood. "In the last 25 years, we've never had a problem that we couldn't have solved with the help of our partners." It is important to build up a network, as I learned in my conversation with Mr. Köck. Cine Tirol has built up a network of filmmakers not only in Germany, but also worldwide. Thanks to Johannes Köck and his team Film crews from all over the world come to Innsbruck and Tyrol to film and thus make the region known worldwide.

History and stories

Another highlight of Tyrol and Innsbruck in particular is its architecture. Whether historic or modern, there are impressive buildings from every era. The old town, Ambras Castle, the Zeughaus as well as the modern buildings of star architect Zaha Hadid have already served as backdrops for national and international film productions. Tyrol's history has also inspired one film or another. A well-known example of this is the Andreas Hofer film, which was shot in Innsbruck, among other places.

Big seller mountains!

When we think of movies, we usually think of Hollywood, right? But worldwide, India produces the most movies. So it is only logical that Cine Tirol has tried, Bollywood to Tyrol. "In Indian film, mountains play a big role as the seat of the gods. They stand for purity, clear water and good air. However, we would never have dreamed that the Indians would actually be interested in filming with us in the small country of Tyrol. After all, there are mountains in India, Nepal, the USA, Canada and many other countries. What makes us special, however, is the easy accessibility of high alpine terrain," explains Johannes Köck. The Nordkette for example, can be easily reached by train from the city center in just 20 minutes. Although this unique infrastructure was not created for film but for tourism, it can also be used perfectly for film productions.

How Bollywood came to Tyrol

The Cine Tirol has managed to attract international filmmakers to Tyrol as a filming location. With a picturesque natural backdrop, good infrastructure, great architecture and film-friendly inhabitants, Tyrol is a promising candidate for international projects. "Nevertheless, we never thought in the beginning that we would be able to bring productions from India to Tyrol," Köck admits modestly. But where there's a will, there's a way.

In the founding phase, Köck sent initial letters to Austrian trade delegations, embassies and the Österreich Werbung. The first response came quite unexpectedly from Delhi. The ambassador there had Tyrolean roots, and his wife had contacts in the Indian film scene. They helped Cine Tirol to get in touch with Indian producers and directors. At a meeting organized by the ambassador, Johannes Köck met the first 20 filmmakers in Mumbai. The meeting was apparently a great success, because just a few weeks later the first Indian production started in Tyrol. Even though 20 filmmakers are not even a drop in the bucket in Bollywood, a partnership developed that has lasted until today. Word spread quickly that the Tyroleans understood how films are made in India, and so more and more producers came to Tyrol. Word of mouth is worth its weight in gold in the film industry.

Film looks touristy

Have you ever visited a place because you know it from a movie or a series? No? I always thought that only hardcore fans did that. But then I realized I was wrong. Why did I want to go to New York City so badly? Of course because I had seen the city in countless television productions and now I finally wanted to experience it for myself. There are studies that show that movies have a huge impact on tourism. Just think of the movie "Lord of the Rings," which made New Zealand famous worldwide. But you don't have to look that far: The movie "The Sound of Music" has attracted countless tourists to Salzburg. Every film that is shot in Tyrol helps to make our beautiful country a little better known.

Job title: "Film fisherman"

If I had to sum up the conversation with Mr. Köck in one sentence, it would be, "The film fisherman casts his nets." The creation of Cine Tirol was a happy combination of courage and success. Thanks to the competence, diligence and persistence of Johannes Köck and his team, Cine Tirol Film Commission celebrates its 25-year existenceenand there will certainly be many more birthdays to come. Due to the growing demand for content, especially through streaming services such as Netflix, Tirol will soon be back on the screen. So we can remain curious. We can only say this much: The recent snowfall probably came just in time for the film producers.

Birthday party at the Leokino

On Sunday, April 30, 2023, the Cine Tirol Film Commission cordially invites all film fans to a free exhibition of works at the Leokino invites. Seven films will be shown, reflecting the diversity of productions of Cine Tirol over the last 25 years.

For Innsbrucker particularly interesting are the films „Andreas Hofer – Die Freiheit des Adlers“ and „Home is here“, since they were both partially shot in the provincial capital. Since April 13, seats for the visit of the films can be reserved via the Leokino can be reserved. So, don't wait, you shouldn't miss this opportunity.

Information

Cine Tirol Film Commission
Address: Maria-Theresien-Straße 55, 6020 Innsbruck
Phone +43 512/5320-258
Email: office@cine.tirol
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Leokino
Address: Anichstraße 36, 6020 Innsbruck
Phone: +43 512/56 04 70
Email: kontakt@leokino.at
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Werkschau
April 30, 2023
Leokino Cine Tirol Special
Admission free, reservation recommended

Cover photo with Tobias Moretti and Johannes Köck: © Franz Oss/Cine Tirol