Kim Strobl

How did you get into film? What particularly attracted you to become part of this industry?

I see myself as a storyteller – and I have been from an early age. I liked to lose myself in fantasy worlds and my German homework was usually pages long – except that you couldn’t read it because of my bad handwriting! But every writer knows – writing is re-writing. So I got used to having to hand in a second draft early on.

Unfortunately, I can’t remember when I first went to the cinema, but it was mainly in high school that I started going several times a week. Who can still remember the small Cine Royal Cinema on the Marktplatz in Innsbruck?! It felt like my second living room – and the projectionist regularly forgot to insert the second film reel in time. Those were the (analogue) days!

I spent my sixth year of high school in the USA as an exchange year, and that’s where I first heard about film schools. As soon as I returned to Innsbruck, it was clear to me – I want to do this professionally, and it has to be at least London. Because as beautiful as Tirol is – you often have to move away and explore the world before you can really appreciate home again.

In London I first studied Film & Television Production, then a year of directing at the end, and was able to gain a lot of professional experience in production.

But after 11 years it was time to come home again – with an idea in my head of a determined girl on a bicycle who still has to learn to listen to her heart and not just her head. And after many years, this became my first feature film!

What distinguishes Tirol as film region for you?

I love to dive into new worlds, but I also like to tell what I know. Authenticity comes when you really understand something. And as a Tyrolean, I know why we behave the way we do, what influence the narrow valleys and high mountains can have on people (positively and negatively), when we express a sense of belonging through our dialect, but what else we can achieve with it, especially in a tourist country like Tirol. This complexity has perhaps been somewhat neglected in films up to now, and I would like to bring this closer to the audience outside of Tirol. Because we are not just rustic mountain people – here you will find motivated and committed people who are digitally networked internationally from this beautiful spot, in creative and economic areas. And with that, we can tell stories that appeal to viewers all over the world.

We are curious: Tell us your favourite location in Tirol!

My favourite way is still to walk from home to the Nordkette – and I love getting lost anew every time through the thousand different branches. Then it immediately feels like a new adventure and reminds me of my childhood, where my solo trips to the park bench in Sadrach, where I then proudly enjoyed my snack, were exciting enough.

And now: The stage is yours! Please introduce yourself and your field of activity.

My name is Kim Strobl and I am a Tyrolean director and screenwriter. After 11 years in London, I was drawn back to my home country, where I can find inspiration for storytelling for young and old, especially in the mountains.

My first feature film ‚Madison‘, an action-packed children’s film about friendship and how important it is to find your own way, was released in Austrian and German cinemas in September 2020.

Since then I have been writing my next feature film, a thriller set in a snow-covered mountain village, and will direct SOKO Linz and a new children’s series for Disney Plus in 2022.

Contact:

Kim Strobl
6020 Innsbruck
Tel.: +43 660 5838330
Mail: kim.strobl@gmail.com
www.kimstrobl.com