A blocked-off old town, film crews roaming the streets at night and international film stars whose photos make Innsbruck go around the world. Innsbruck and its surroundings are becoming increasingly popular as a location for films, series, commercials and music videos. But where are they shot and what has been produced here so far? To get to the bottom of this question, I had the pleasure of talking to two experts. On the one hand with Johannes Köck, the longtime head of the Cine Tirol team and on the other hand with Stefan Ager , who is active in front of and behind the camera with his production company. He also knows what must not be missing at an event with Steve Aoki... but more about that later.
Johannes Köck from Cine Tirol in conversation
Johannes Köck was there when the first trip to Mumbai was organized to make Indian film producers aware of the impressive film locations in Tyrol, has personally met actors such as Tobias Moretti, Karl Markovics, Dakota Fanning or Hugh Jackman and knows the industry in Tyrol like no other.
Johannes, which films shot in the Innsbruck region are among the most famous?
The most famous films include: Klammer - Chasing the line, Totenfrau, Andreas Hofer - Die Freiheit des Adlers, Metzger, Yuvvraaj, Tiger Zinder Hai and from earlier times also Sisi, Berge in Flammen, Der Rebell or Mario.
Where do most of the production teams come from geographically?
Most productions come from German-speaking countries, followed by projects from other European countries as well as from India. Basically, Cine Tirol is interested in acquiring film projects, including feature films, documentaries and commercials as well as music videos, from Austria and abroad and promotes the film region Tyrol with the respective regions at international film festivals and trade events, for example in Berlin and Cannes.
One hears again and again of Bollywood productions, which are rather unknown with us, but are celebrated in India. What do Indian filmmakers look for when they want to film here? Are there recurring elements that are particularly in demand here?
Indian filmmakers in Tyrol are looking above all for alpine to high alpine locations, but also for lakes, rivers and waterfalls as well as historical and modern architecture, in order to shoot both the feature scenes and the so-called "songs" with the respective choreographies at these locations. From an Indian point of view, mountains stand for landscapes of beauty and purity, as places with a pleasant climate and clean water; and it should be added that mountains also have a mythological significance for Indian culture as the seat of the gods and are therefore particularly desirable locations. We were able to bring over 90 Indian productions from India to Tyrol, not only from Bollywood, but also from other film capitals such as Hyderabad, Chennai and Bangalore.
Wow, 90 Indian film productions that have shot in Tyrol! This inevitably makes me wonder: Where do the stars of such big productions usually live when they shoot here in the Innsbruck area?
They like to stay in the hotels of the city of Innsbruck, for example in the Hotel Schwarzer Adler, in the Hotel Adlers, in the Leipziger Hof and in the Stage12 - in Kematen the Hotel Edelmanns has established itself as a film hotel through the production of Aus die Maus by Uli Brée and Einsatz in den Alpen.
Nice! Last year I was able to chat with Uli Brée, Nina Proll and Gregor Bloeb about Aus die Maus. For the three of them, as Tyroleans (by choice), this production was in a way also a home game
Seen from the outside, the film industry is certainly changing enormously, enormously quickly. How have the productions filmed here changed over the last 10 years?
Especially in the technical area, the development has been enormous - just when I think of the use of drones for aerial shots! And of course the entry of streaming services like Netflix has also led to a change. Basically, the demand for content has increased enormously during this period, and both locations and film studios are benefiting from this.
What role does the sustainability aspect play and how exactly can you imagine the implementation of a "green filming" project?
Increasing environmental awareness and the urgency to reduce pollutant emissions make a rethink necessary in the film industry as well. The ecological footprint caused by film production must be reduced wherever possible. Green filming describes the process of using resource-conserving and ecologically sustainable production methods to produce films that are as climate-neutral as possible. To this end, the entire film production process is examined along all trades and production phases, from preparation through the entire shooting period and from post-production to exploitation, with a view to finding green action alternatives and subsequently converting them.
As a rule, the following fields are examined: production office, transport for people and material, accommodation, technology and lighting, set design with locations 'on location' or in the studio and decoration construction, costume design, catering, waste management. By analyzing the hotspots, potential CO₂ savings and optimization measures can be identified. CO₂ emissions that cannot be avoided can be offset through CO₂ compensation.
(Author's note: Johannes told us much more at this point, but that would go beyond the scope here. You can read all the details on this exciting topic on the Green Filming Tirol site at www.cine.tirol/green-filming-tirol)
Assuming you have never been to Innsbruck and would like to get in the mood for your next vacation with a few films. Which films would you recommend?
- The Mountain Doctor I, which was filmed in Wildermieming aka "Sonnenstein
- Home is here by Innsbruck-based screenwriter and director Tereza Kotyk
- Wild Innsbruck - an extraordinary documentary by filmmaker and biologist Patrick Centurioni
- Totenfrau based on a novel by the Tyrolean author Bernhard Aichner;
- Die Nordkette - a spectacular documentary by Gerald Salmina
- Yuvvraaj by the Indian master director Subhash Ghai
- Alpenzoo Innsbruck - gene pool of the Alps, a documentary film
- Mario: I find Tyrol's first TV series particularly impressive - Mario was a "street sweeper" in my youth in the 60s: the adventures of twelve-year-old boy Mario and his avalanche dog Trux, especially in the Kühtai, were extremely exciting and we all wanted to be able to ski as great as he did..
You also advise commercial filmmakers and music video producers. What would be a nice example of a clip filmed here?
A very nice example would be here Animal by Ro Bergmanwhich was realized in the Axamer Lizum
Finally, a look into the future: what films can we look forward to that have already been shot? Are there any other productions ready to be filmed here in the region in the near future?
The films Totenfrau (Dead Woman) and Euer Ehren (Your Honor), which were produced last year, will be shown this year, and soon Einsatz in den Alpen (Operation in the Alps) will be shown on March 31st on RTL's main evening program.
Shooting for a new Tyrolean rural crime thriller entitled "Forgiveness" is planned for September and October in the Innsbruck region - several other film productions, including feature films and documentaries, as well as commercials and music videos, have also already appeared on our radar, for whose earliest possible realization we offer our assistance and support in close coordination with Innsbruck Tourism.
Thank you Johannes for your time, for the exciting insight and the many tips!
After my conversation with Johannes, I also asked Stefan Ager what his work as a location scout is like... and what film crews look for in us.
Interview with location scout Stefan Ager
Stefan Ager is active in front of and behind the scenes, as a film producer, location scout, actor, sports model, cave diving traverser, Streif forerunner or also quite privately as a father of twins and husband of Sarah Ager, who one or the other may know through her Instagram account Liebreizend (look in & follow is worth it!)
Stefan, for which productions have you already been on the road as a location scout in the Innsbruck region and where does your expertise lie?
Our (Lensecape Productionsandreas Gumpenberger and me) expertise are mostly alpine locations, where experience in the terrain is needed. Recently, for example, for an A1 commercial with a helicopter on the Stubai Glacier, where we are location managers to stunt doubles. For the SWR TV movie "Now or Never" we were at the Obernberger See and Kühtai Stausee. Our skill is then to find the perfect location from the scripts for the respective production. The difficulty often lies in the size of the productions. A large team (50 to 100 people) is not suitable for off-road use... so it usually has to be easy to reach, but still look "remote".
When you travel with film teams from other countries, what surprises Innsbruck? Are there any locations or conditions that are particularly popular?
Our USP here is definitely the coolest infrastructure you can get in the alpine region. Especially popular are of course our glaciers, where everyone can easily get up to 3,000+ meters above sea level and there is a winter feeling even though it is still autumn. So you can produce for the coming winter.
What has been the most unusual request you have encountered so far?
We had to organize a cake at short notice for Steve Aoki during a shoot on the glacier, because he is known for slamming a cake in the face of his fans/guests. Only this one was frozen 😉
Ouch. Thanks Stefan for the exciting insights into your unusual profession!
TV premiere of Operation in the Alps
Just recently there was a preview premiere of Einsatz in den Alpen at the Metropol Kino in Innsbruck. The TV broadcast will take place on March 31 in RTL's main evening program. If you want to see the exciting series pilot now, you can also stream it online before it airs Here's the streaming link for Einsatz in den Alpen - der Armbrustkiller
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Travel blogger & book author with a passion for hiking, wild herbs and alpine cuisine. #onlyinibk
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