Franz Klammer legend inspires the film and sports industry in China

The movie “Klammer – Chasing the Line” (link to trailer) is a romantic sports biopic set in the Austrian Alps of the 70ies and deals with the legendary downhill run of Mr. Franz Klammer at the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria. The true story of the red-white-red ski athlete, who remains the most successful World Cup downhill racer of all times, was presented in two film screenings during the Winter Olympic Games in China. On February 16, the movie (which is still waiting for its approval in China) was shown to 20 top contacts from the film industry in a private cinema in the heart of Shanghai. Two days later, the sports and love story had its second successful appearance in front of 50 selected guests from the film, media and sports industry in a brand new Snow51 Indoor Skiing Store.  

“Our vision was to tell the true story of an Austrian hero who found the strength to win a competition against all odds. Our goal was to create a film that celebrates love, sports and of course the Olympics” says producer Mr. Jakob Pochlatko (epo-film). “Klammer – Chasing the Line”, a movie that was shot in 36 days with the help of a stunt team including a ski champion, received a lot of praise from the professional audience in China for the script up to the post-production quality. Besides, the authentic information on the main shooting locations by Austrian Consul General Helmut Rakowitsch (born in Carinthia) and Consul (Commercial Affairs) Christina Schösser (born in Tirol) were particularly well received. Sport highlights of the evening were the personal greetings from Olympic ski champion Matthias Mayer directly from the Olympic village as well as the Q&A session with “the real” ski athlete Franz Klammer via live streaming. Together with Mr. Christian Kresse (Kärnten Werbung – Film location Carinthia) as well as the main actors, Mr. Julian Waldner and Ms. Valerie Huber, he provided deep and humorous insights behind the scenes of the film to the audience in Shanghai.  

The film screenings under the patronage of the Austrian Consul General in Shanghai were part of the ReFocus Austria initiative and took place within the scope of go-international, a joint initiative of the Austrian Federal Ministry for Digital and Economic Affairs and the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber. The screening events in Shanghai could be organized thanks to the wonderful team of sponsors and supporters – Axess, Bridging the Dragon, Doppelmayr Garaventa, Red Bull and Snow51 (in alphabetical order). Their generous contribution and precious assistance was an incredible help and much appreciated.

Austria is attracting international film professionals with its favorable environment: the spectacular landscape of the Alps, the unique historic architecture and the possibilities of shooting extreme sport scenes. A combination of this setting with a perfect infrastructure, highly-skilled producers and outstanding technology provides the perfect location for international production companies. For more information and contacts, please visit locationaustria.at/en Besides the capital Vienna, two more remarkable Austrian shooting locations appear in the movie “Chasing the Line”: the southern province of Carinthia, home of Franz Klammer, and the western province of Tirol, host of the 1964 and 1976 Winter Olympics.  

Carinthia has an impressive landscape and cultural diversity. The Austrian province impresses with over 1,000 crystal-clear lakes, a fascinating mountain world and above-average hours of sunshine. The southern flair and the uniqueness of the Alps-Adriatic region, the exciting intersection of three cultures, namely Austria, Italy and Slovenia, become visible in the diversity of culture and architecture. Carinthia as a film destination is perfect for all filmmakers who are looking for diverse, authentic and original film locations. The Carinthia Film Commission sees itself as the first and, above all, free contact point for filmmakers with questions regarding the acquisition of productions and the realization of filming. In addition, the Carinthia Film Commission provides filmmakers with assistance in the areas of location services, supplier services and film funding. Selected projects that meet the CFC guidelines and have a cultural connection to Carinthia receive an adequate production cost subsidy. Please find further details at www.filmcommission.at (in German) or contact office@filmcommission.at 

Tirol, in the heart of the Alps, provides an easy access to stunning Alpine locations from mountain valleys and lakes way up to glacier regions. The region benefits from four very distinctive seasons and monuments from past epochs just as contemporary architecture. Tirol is located in the midst of Europe, conveniently reachable via the international airports in Munich and Vienna, and offers the skills and know-how of local film crews. As member of the AFCI (Association of Film Commissioners International) and a founding member of the EUFCN (European Film Commissions Network) and the AFC&F (Austrian Film Commissions & Funds), Cine Tirol Film Commission executes various promotion activities, including regular participations in international film festivals, location fairs and coproduction meetings. Cine Tirol provides a comprehensive and free location service for all film makers and their audiovisual projects like feature films, TV-movies and series, documentaries, music videos and commercials. Selected film projects may also receive financial support through a production incentive. Since the foundation of Cine Tirol in 1998, more than 1,500 film productions from near and far have been shot in Tirol – among them, „James Bond 007 – SPECTRE“ was the biggest production so far. Please visit www.cine.tirol or follow the WeChat channel 蒂罗尔州旅游局 for details.

ADVANTAGE AUSTRIA has been promoting the Austrian creative industry as well as the film and TV sector for years. The main objective is to support companies and organizations in establishing valuable contacts for future cross-border cooperation. Chinese and Austrian players have already completed first successful examples of joint projects in the film sector. Together with the strategic partner Bridging the Dragon, a network for the promotion of Sino-European film partnerships, the teams of ADVANTAGE AUSTRIA in Shanghai and in Vienna focus on the film and TV industry in China, presenting an ambitious program, including a mix of online and offline events.  

ADVANTAGE AUSTRIA Shanghai supports film companies from China and Austrian to connect and cooperate in all possible ways. Anyone who would like to explore business opportunities with Austrian companies in the film & TV industry, please contact ADVANTAGE AUSTRIA Shanghai at shanghai@advantageaustria.org.