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Austria

Overview and productions

At the most recent edition of the European Film Commissions Network Location Award showcase earlier this year, Schönbrunn Palace, proposed by Vienna Film Commission, won the EUFCN audience location award as chosen by the public.

Schönbrunn Palace, the Baroque summer residence of the Habsburgs since the early 18th century, served as a location for the residence of dictator Elena Vernham (Kate Winslet) in HBO drama series The Regime. The award reflects the efforts of Vienna Film Commission to drive its global production profile.

The Regime spent five of its 20-week shoot in Vienna, with Schönbrunn Palace serving as a major location. It was the first time the venue had opened its doors to filming on such a scale. Normally open only partly to the public, it is crammed with furniture, goods and chattels, most of which cannot be removed, dressed or changed. But the production found places to film in corridors and downstairs rooms with the help of Vienna Film Commission.

Talent draw

Major international productions landing in Austria recently include Guy Ritchie’s Fountain Of Youth, an Apple/Skydance production starring Natalie Portman and John Krasinski, which shot at locations in Vienna including the Austrian National Library and Heldenplatz, the city’s large public space also known as Heroes Square.

Jaume Collet-Serra’s Cliffhanger reboot, starring Lily James and Pierce Brosnan, shot in Austria’s East Tyrol region of the Lienz Dolomites in November 2024. The project secured funding from Austria’s Cine Tirol Film Commission when it filmed across the mountain range, which stretches across East Tyrol and Carinthia. “Shooting our movie on location in the Dolomites using large-format cameras was imperative for us to show the scope and scale of the story we’re telling,” says Collet-Serra.

From January 1, 2023, Film in Austria — the organisation that operates as the country’s film commission — oversaw the government introduction of a 35% incentive for film and TV production. The automatic, non-­repayable subsidy offers up to a maximum of $5.4m (€5m) per film and $8m (€7.5m) per series. In 2024, Vienna Film Commission issued 188 recommendations for 95 international projects, which corresponds roughly to the previous year’s tally. Most international applications came from Germany, the US and UK.

The number of shooting days in Vienna recorded by production companies for 2024 rose by 6.7%, totalling around 3,200 shooting days, of which 1,295 were for feature film and series productions, according to film commission figures.

 

Overview and productions

Locations and permits

Outside Vienna, further eye-­catching locations include the Grossglockner High Alpine Road and the lake and village at Altaussee, with its villas and hunting lodges, as well as an array of castles including the fairy tale-like Kreuzenstein Castle, 20 kilometres north of Vienna. In addition to the Lienz Dolomites, the country’s Tyrolean Alps include the ski resorts of Ischgl and Fiss. 

Shooting permits are usually straightforward but remain costly.

Infrastructure and crews

Vienna is the main filming hub with a wealth of resources. Crews are experienced and usually speak fluent English. Production office crew may be scarce as many are working on longer term TV projects. Equipment rental is easy with myriad Austrian service providers on hand. The newly founded Association of Austrian Film Service Providers can help overseas producers with what they need.

European status

Austria is a member of the European Union and participates in the Schengen Agreement. Its currency is the euro. 

 

Size matters

Austria is well connected internally by air and land and has a thriving tourism industry. International flights connect to several of the country’s key cities. 

First person to contact: Marijana Stoisits, managing director, Vienna Film Commission — stoisits@viennafilmcommission.at

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