Ingolstadt shows potential: New film city in Bavaria?

Almost 40 years ago, the young ballerina Anna Pelzer danced her way into many hearts. Young girls in particular sat transfixed in front of the television at Christmas as Silvia Seidel, as Anna, fought for her dream of becoming a dancer after an accident. The ZDF Christmas series “Anna” was a huge success in 1987 and brought a huge influx to ballet schools across the country. A year later, a film followed in which Ingolstadt plays a very special role. Some scenes in the film were shot in the city. So Anna takes a walk from the city theater across Dollstrasse to the high school. And a swing was installed on the roof of the city theater on which the young dancer swings back and forth over the roofs of the city.

There are many interesting locations for films in Ingolstadt

The city’s economics department is convinced that Ingolstadt offers many backdrops for film projects. Therefore, possible filming locations in the city should now be intensively advertised. The economic department researched and photographed the most interesting locations in Ingolstadt in collaboration with the Bavarian Film Commission and together with the IFG Location Marketing and Tourism. There are well-known places such as the Reduit Tilly in Klenzepark and the New Palace, but also less idyllic but very striking buildings such as the refinery, a prefabricated building on Hebbelstrasse, the parking garage at Nordbahnhof or the motorway bridge over the Danube.

Filmmakers not only need a suitable location, but it must also meet certain quality criteria: How accessible is the location, is there a power supply, and what are the general technical data? The economic department has also compiled all this information. They will now be presented together with the images from national and international film productions on the FFF Bayern Film Commission website at www.filmlocations-bayern.de. There, filmmakers can find the ideal motifs for their film projects using keywords, locations or categories.

Ingolstadt hopes for two things from the city’s film appearances. On the one hand, filming in the city can strengthen local service providers. This ranges from caterers to technicians and craftsmen. On the other hand, it is hoped that the presence of the city backdrop could boost tourism. “Films and series arouse the interest of visitors who want to experience the locations up close,” says a statement from the city. There are a few examples: The Rosenheim Cops, for example, which even have the city’s name in the title, or the films about Inspector Eberhofer. In the course of the broadcasts, a real hype arose around the Eberhofer roundabout in Frontenhausen, with corresponding public traffic.

Mary Shelley’s novel “Frankenstein” is set in Ingolstadt

Those responsible now want to score points with filmmakers with the history of the city and its legacy in the present. The well-known and scandalous writer Marieluise Fleißer was born here and Mary Shelley’s fictional character Victor Frankenstein brought his world-famous and iconic creature to life. Over time, Ingolstadt was a “hundred-towered city,” a university town, a state fortress and an industrial stronghold. This eventful history left behind striking buildings, ensembles and areas. “Whether a historic fortress or an impressive industrial complex, an extensive park or bizarre lost places – Ingolstadt offers many remarkable motifs for film and photography,” says the statement.

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By the way, “Anna” wasn’t the only film that was shot in the city. As early as 1948, a team from Hollywood shot some scenes for the film “The Marked Ones” with Montgomery Clift at Ingolstadt Central Station. Later there were, for example, “Todfeinde” with Heino Ferch and Tobias Moretti from 1998 or “Die Chefin” in 2017.

If you would like to offer interesting locations in Ingolstadt, you can contact the economics department. Information is available at https://ingolstadt.de/kreativwirtschaft.