On January 21st from 11:05 p.m. on ORF 2
Vienna (OTS) – At the end of the much-awaited Hahnenkamm weekend in Kitzbühel, the “dokfilm” will present two topic-related productions on ORF 2 on Sunday, January 21, 2024, which deal with different sides of the ski metropolis. First on the program at 11:05 p.m. is the city portrait “My Kitzbühel” – a filmic journey of discovery in which filmmaker Felix Breisach lets people speak who have one thing in common: deep gratitude for being able to live in this place – including Alpine landlady Rosi Schipflinger , ski legend Hias Leitner, Nordic combined skier and Olympic champion David Kreiner, master tailor Franz Prader, city guide Pepi Treichl, summer theater director Michaela Reith and film star Uschi Glas. Afterwards, ORF 2 shows the documentary “Waldes Lust – The Painter of Kitzbühel” (12:15 a.m.), a portrait of the painter, architect and designer Alfons Walde, who “invented” Kitzbühel as a tourist region.
“My Kitzbühel” (11:05 p.m.)
Hahnenkamm Race in Kitzbühel: This means top sporting achievements and a state of emergency in the small Tyrolean town, which transforms into a gigantic party zone around the event every year in January. On the occasion of the 84th edition of the major Alpine event, the ORF is presenting a very personal portrait of Kitzbühel by director Felix Breisach, which shows: Kitzbühel also stands for peaks and happiness, huts and magic, high and society, a sense of tradition and a landscape that you cannot miss can get enough. On his journey of discovery, Breisach climbs dizzying heights over many a narrow ridge, but also goes deep into the underground of the world-famous Tyrolean community. The people he meets – whether quaint or illustrious – have one thing in common: deep gratitude for being able to live in this place.
David Kreiner, Nordic combined athlete and 2010 Olympic champion, believes in karma: He must have done something right in his past life to be born in Kitzbühel. After his sporting career, he had no concrete plans for the future, but instead had an unbridled passion for the mountains. No wonder he is now a mountain guide. As he climbs the Kitzbüheler Horn, he gives director Felix Breisach a lesson in applied philosophy:
“Big steps bring small joy, while small steps bring great joy.”
The singing alpine landlady Rosi Schipflinger also lives high above Kitzbühel: If an attribute applies to her, then it is “indestructible” and if it is supposed to be a sign of honor, then it is “institution”. She has little longing for the city; people make pilgrimages to it anyway. This also includes sports idols and business bosses, especially around the Hahnenkamm race, when Kitzbühel turns into a single party zone. Rosi was already on the verge of a major recording career when star producer Jack White gave her the “Kitzbüheler Lied”. The love for their homeland was greater than the desire to move through the country.
Master tailor Franz Prader came to Kitzbühel at a young age and immediately knew: “This is where I belong”. He has already applied his tape measure to world stars such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sean Connery, Romy Schneider, Rock Hudson and Omar Sharif. The couture grand seigneur is an esthete from the top of his head to the hand-sewn sole. At a young age, he taught his friend Udo Jürgens to move more elegantly on stage.
City guide Pepi Treichl not only knows every corner of Kitzbühel, he is also a gifted storyteller, which makes him famous far beyond the region’s borders. He takes director Felix Breisach on an exploration tour of the city’s catacombs. Copper mining here has a 3,000-year history and brought prosperity to Kitzbühel from the Middle Ages onwards. Pepi also knows exactly what the colorful baroque house facades in the Gamsstadt are all about.
Felix Breisach also meets ski legend Hias Leitner, who achieved great success in the so-called miracle team, summer theater director Michaela Reith and actress Uschi Glas, who fell in love with Kitzbühel many years ago.
“Waldes Lust – The Painter of Kitzbühel” (12:15 a.m.)
Alfons Walde not only created the town’s trademark, but also shaped the image of Kitzbühel today with his buildings. His winter sports paintings now fetch top prices. However, Walde, who also left behind a little-known oeuvre of erotic drawings and photographs, did not live to be recognized on the art market. Sandro Decleva’s film connects past and present, sheds light on the development of the famous ski resort and lets Alfons Walde’s grandson guide him through his grandfather’s world. Kitzbühel contemporary witnesses and art experts also have their say in the film. Through his architecture studies at the Vienna University of Technology, Alfons Walde came into contact with the Vienna Secession and also took part in exhibitions organized by the artists’ association. Walde’s pictures were often dismissed by critics as peasant paintings, but colleagues such as Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele appreciated them very much. It was the latter who inspired Walde to paint his first genre paintings and portraits.
When ski tourism boomed in the 1920s and Kitzbühel attracted wealthy society, Walde recognized his opportunities and returned home. He designed the mountain and valley station of the Hahnenkammbahn, a pioneering architectural work. In 1931 he designed the red chamois, the symbol of the famous ski resort. In addition to the distinctive Kitzbühel lettering he developed, it is still a best-seller souvenir to this day. As a construction consultant for Kitzbühel, Walde assessed the plans of other architects. He himself designed 20 houses, as well as restaurants and shops, schools and a bathing establishment.