Austrian Film Industry Thrives with New Incentives and Stunning Locations!

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Austria can rightly rejoice in a significant achievement as a filming destination, largely due to appealing funding initiatives that have drawn significant global productions to the nation. These include Guy Ritchie’s “Fountain of Youth” and Jaume Collet-Serra’s “Cliffhanger” remake, while also showcasing a robust selection of domestic films at this year’s Berlin Film Festival.

Presented in 2023, these incentives – FISA Plus and ÖFI Plus – are capable of reimbursing up to 60% of expenses related to international film productions.

Beyond breathtaking natural scenery, historic towns steeped in tradition, and modern urban centers, a cutting-edge studio complex has recently emerged in Vienna, providing an extensive array of resources to bolster filming activities within the Austrian capital.

Nina-Anica Keidies, the Austrian Film Commissioner, notes that since the initiation of the FISA Plus funding program two years back, Austria has significantly strengthened its position within the film industry.

Absolutely, the fresh incentive resulted in 162 projects receiving a combined €144 million in financing. Additionally, it facilitated 3,895 filming days in Austria from 2023 to 2024. Furthermore, it generated an economic impact of approximately €465 million ($482 million) for the nation’s economy, as stated by Austrian Labor and Economy Minister Martin Kocher, who views film funding as a means to stimulate growth.

These remarkable numbers clearly demonstrate the allure of FISA Plus for the movie business, allowing us to transport numerous international productions – or significant portions of them – to Austria,” Kocher explains.

Notable films and series that have been filmed in Austria recently and taken advantage of the country’s incentives include HBO’s “The Regime,” featuring Kate Winslet and Matthias Schoenaerts, the Hulu series “Nine Perfect Strangers” starring Nicole Kidman, and Marc Rothemund’s German comedy film “Very Best Ager,” which stars Iris Berben and Heiner Lauterbach.

Austria provides various national and local funding options, with financing offices situated in each of its nine federal states.

The “Cliffhanger” remake, featuring Lily James and Pierce Brosnan, received financial backing from Cine Tirol Film Commission during its filming in November within the Lienz Dolomites mountain range that spans across the regions of East Tyrol and Carinthia.

The movie chronicles experienced mountaineer Ray Cooper, portrayed by Brosnan, who manages a chalet in the Dolomites. Over a weekend excursion with a wealthy young man’s son, they become victims of kidnappers. As Ray’s daughter Naomi (James), who is grappling with memories of a previous mountaineering mishap, bravely faces her apprehensions to rescue them.

According to Collet-Serra, it was crucial for our film production to capture the movie on location in the Dolomites with high-quality cameras. This allows us to accurately convey the grandeur and vastness of the narrative we’re presenting. Our aim is to offer viewers an exhilarating, immersive, and top-notch cinematic experience that they won’t forget anytime soon.

Last year, Ritchie filmed crucial scenes for “Fountain of Youth,” a movie about two estranged siblings on a journey to find the fabled wellspring of eternal life, in Vienna. Notable locations included the National Library, Heldenplatz, Schwarzenbergplatz, Hotel Imperial, and even the city’s underground canal network. Moreover, “Fountain of Youth” marked the third significant international production to be filmed in the city since the implementation of the Vienna Film Incentive in 2022, following “The Recruit” on Netflix and “Crooks.

Philipp Mair Vargas from Pont Pictures based in Vienna focuses on international joint productions and is currently working on two upcoming projects: “Fractal,” a collaboration between Austria and the UK, and “Amygdala,” a partnership between Austria and Ireland. These projects will primarily or partially film in Austria, with the OFI Plus funding covering a majority of their production costs.

The incentive additionally provides financing options for films that don’t necessarily film in Austria but meet specific conditions, such as carrying out post-production within the country. For instance, Irish production company Fantastic Films, collaborating with Pont Pictures and local Vienna firm Horse & Fruits, utilized ÖSI Plus to bridge funding gaps on Glenn McQuaid’s upcoming thriller “The Restauration at Grayson Manor,” starring Chris Colfer and Alice Krige.

Beyond its financial benefits, Keidies emphasizes several other aspects that make Austria an exceptional choice for global filmmakers. These include the abundant and unique settings, which encompass a variety of filming locations like mountains, glaciers, castles, palaces, villages, alpine huts, and both ancient and modern architecture.

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Keidies highlights more than just financial rewards when recommending Austria as an excellent destination for international filmmakers. He points out the numerous factors such as the diverse and extraordinary locations, which span from mountains and glaciers to castles, palaces, villages, alpine huts, and a mix of historical and contemporary architecture that can serve as filming sites.

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Keidies underlines that Austria offers more than financial perks for international filmmakers. Among the compelling reasons are the diverse and extraordinary locations – mountains, glaciers, castles, palaces, villages, alpine huts, and a blend of historical and modern architecture – that make it an ideal choice for filming.

As a keen observer, I must acknowledge the impressive array of seasoned and multilingual teams in our local industry. Furthermore, cities and towns here boast modern infrastructure that truly caters to every need – from luxurious five-star accommodations, convenient accessibility, an outstanding road network, secure glacier regions with ample snow, and logistics costs that keep production processes running smoothly.

The cutting-edge HQ7 Studios located in Vienna are significantly contributing to the draw of global film productions due to their advanced soundproof stages, contemporary support amenities, and prime location that lies midway between the city center and the airport, as pointed out.

Additionally, within the city you’ll find the Virtual Production Studio Vienna, a place equipped with immersive and interactive sets that make use of LED screens on both walls and ceilings.

Beyond that, Austria boasts an array of elite facilities for post-production and scoring. Specifically, the prestigious Synchron Stage Vienna, a renowned scoring stage utilized in numerous international productions, is one such facility. Furthermore, Austria is home to several thriving image and sound post-production companies, recognized for their exceptional quality and expertise. (Keidies’ statement)

Keidies points out that the FISA Plus program significantly boosts Austria’s allure in the film industry by providing funding not just for filming, but also for post-production work, regardless of where the initial shoot was carried out. This makes Austria an enticing location for the entire filmmaking journey.

Those benefits have significantly boosted Austria’s competitiveness compared to other favored destinations such as the Czech Republic and Hungary, she points out.

The FISA Plus initiative has boosted Austria’s edge over other nations by providing financial incentives that compensate for potentially higher production costs, making filming in Austria more appealing. As a result, series like ‘Vienna Blood,’ which were previously filmed overseas, have opted to come back to Austria under this program. This not only ensures authenticity but also bolsters the local film industry.

As a seasoned movie reviewer, I’ve noticed that the majority of international productions in Austria hail from Germany, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Yet, it’s not just these three powerhouses knocking on Austria’s doorstep – we receive countless inquiries from various countries worldwide, and engage in ongoing discussions with regions as far as Asia. Among these, India stands out as a consistently curious potential partner, expressing repeated interest in Austria as an appealing filming destination.

At the Berlin Film Festival this year, Austria is displaying an assortment of films funded by ÖFI Plus, one of which is “Mother’s Baby” directed by Johanna Moder from Freibeuter Film. This competition entry follows a 40-year-old woman whose joy at becoming a mother turns into a nightmare as she finds it difficult to connect with her newborn child.

In the debut section of Perspectives, we find the story “Golden Girls’ ‘How to Be Normal and the Oddness of the Other World,'” penned by Florian Pochlatko. This tale follows a young woman, recently discharged from a psychiatric hospital, as she grapples with maintaining balance in her life while managing jobs, heartache, and medication. Meanwhile, in Panorama, Andreas Prochaska’s suspenseful film “Welcome Home Baby,” about a doctor residing in Berlin who inherits a house in Austria and endeavors to unravel the enigma surrounding her own ancestry, is set to screen.

Other films at Berlinale include “If You Are Afraid, You Swallow Your Heart with a Smile” by Marie Luise Lehner, which is part of the Forum; Nathalie Borgers’ documentary “Scars of a Putsch,” also in Forum Special; and the German-Danish-Austrian series “Other People’s Money” that screens in Panorama. Magda Woitzuck’s series project “Shit Happens,” based on a true story about a single mother who ran a drug ring in Vienna, will be presented at the Co-Production Market’s Co-Pro Series pitching forum.

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2025-02-14 13:48