November 2024 (G.T.) - The film “Ride back to Best Age” by Austrian director Hermann Weiskopf wins the Crystal Pine Award at the International Sound & Film Music Festival 2024 in Croatia: the prize for “Best Original Score - Documentary” goes to Tyrolese composer Bernhard Falkner.
Film poster and ISFMF 2024 award. Photo courtesy of AVG Filmproduktion.
“We are all part of a big family, regardless of whether the individual members are Oscar winners or lesser-known film makers. The most important thing is quality, and of course passion!”, declared the artistic director of the International Festival, Ozren K. Glaser, during the Crystal Pine Awards 2024 prize-giving ceremony. Indeed, the International Sound & Film Music Festival is one of the most important events in the world in terms of music and sound effects in international cinema.
ISFMF 2024. From left, the AVG Filmproduktion team with winners Bernhard Falkner and Mark Ulano, and the docu-film’s director Hermann Weiskopf. Photo courtesy of AVG Filmproduktion.
A number of international stars were in attendance at the festival in Samobor, Croatia: Stuart Wilson is known for his work on the James Bond, Star Wars and Harry Potter films, and has been nominated for 7 Oscars, winning for the film “1917”. He was presented with the “Honorary Award” at the International Sound & Film Music Festival. Mark Ulano has received four Oscar nominations for best sound in a motion picture and won with the film Titanic. At the International Sound & Film Music Festival, he received the “Award for Best Sound Mixing” for the Martin Scorsese film “Killers of the Flower Moon”. Wayne Pashley is known for his work as a sound designer on films such as Mad Max, The Great Gatsby and Elvis. Robert Townson one of the world's most successful music producers for film, with contracts with many of the most famous film composers, including two-time Oscar winner Hans Zimmer. Novica Jankov is a sound engineer known for several Netflix films (Tau, Extinction). The Hollywood Film Music Quartet provided the well-received musical accompaniment to the film awards ceremony.
https://www.facebook.com/ISFMF
The Tyrolean composer Bernhard Falkner was rewarded with the “Crystal Pine Award 2024” for the music he composed for the Austrian documentary “Ride back to Best Age” (directed by Hermann Weiskopf). “To be recognised as a winner among the 160 documentary films entered from all over the world is a great reward for all the hard work that creating music for film inevitably involves. But I would also like to extend my congratulations to all the other nominees for their work...”, stated the composer Bernhard Falkner, who was visibly delighted with his award.
https://www.facebook.com/ISFMF
“My heartfelt congratulations to Bernhard Falkner for winning this award at such a high-profile international film festival, where Oscar-winning professionals are also in the running. Working with him was fantastic and goes to show that great film-making talent can also be found in the Tyrol region and around Lake Garda.” These words of thanks were extended to the award winner by director Hermann Weiskopf, as well as to all those who worked on the documentary, such as musician Roberto Mencaglia and actress Benedetta De Beni, who hails from Verona.
International Sound & Film Music Festival: https://isfmf.com
List of winners: https://isfmf.com/explore/#awards
At the centre, director Hermann Weiskopf and singer Lionessa Soul (who features in the film “Ride Back to Best Age”) at the Twelve Lions Film Festival 2024, Kentucky, USA. Photo courtesy of AVG Filmproduktion.
Also worthy of mention are the previous film festival appearances of the docu-film “Ride Back to Best Age”: at the Twelve Lions Film Festival 2024 (26-29 September), Lexington-Kentucky, USA - Winner of the Audience Choice award - for best picture of the 62 films presented by 22 countries, and finalist in the Documentaries category.
TLFF: https://www.twelvelionsfilmfestival.com/2024-finalists-and-award-winners
And also, at the Matera International Film Festival 2024 (5th edition, 3-10 November) - Finalist in the Best Documentary category. MIFF website: https://www.materafilmfestival.it/
https://filmfreeway.com/HermannWeiskopf
THE FILM. From the mountains of the Tyrol region to the Veronese shores of Lake Garda, director Hermann Weiskopf is on the road again: at the age of 60, he sets out on his beloved Vespa to find out whether his age boils down to just a matter of high blood pressure and diet, or whether there’s more to it, and how others deal with this theme.
https://wide.piaggiogroup.com/en/articles/people/ride-back-to-best-age/index.html
Synopsis. Plagued by inner doubts and fears about ageing, film-maker Hermann Weiskopf gets back on the saddle of his beloved Vespa shortly before his 61st birthday. This time, during his journey from the Tyrol mountains to Lake Garda, he explores questions about when we start to feel old, and how to age well. During his journey “back to the best age”, Hermann talks to people in different situations and of different ages, asking them for their views on this topic, and what problems and opportunities ageing entails for them. For example, Hermann meets a clergyman, an art dealer, a man who lives in the mountains and many others. Each of them has their own views on old age, on their own age, and on how best to deal with ageing. Sometimes serious, sometimes light-hearted, but always with real feeling, they describe how spend the time they still have. From diet salads and high-calorie pasta, fitness and trips to bars, blood pressure checks and late-night partying, Hermann tries to find an answer to the sometimes-overwhelming question of what we can expect from life when we are over 60.
Genre: documentary feature film/Docutainment. Length: 89 minutes.
Websites: www.ridebackto.com
www.avgfilmproduktion.com
(Source: Ride Back to Best Age press release/Hermann Weiskkopf).
September 2024, the Vienna première of “Ride Back to Best Age,” attended by director Hermann Weiskopf and the film's producers: Elly Senger-Weiss from Ellly Films, Veit Heiduschka (Oscar for the film Amour) and Norbert Blecha. https://www.instagram.com/avgfilmproduktion/
From left, the Austrian director at the Piaggio Museum during the Vespa World Days 2024 (Pontedera, Italy), posing on a Vespa with a sidecar and sitting at the desk of Corradino d'Ascanio, the genius engineer who invented the Vespa. Hermann Weiskopf took part in the world rally with his Vespa GTV, along with his wife Paola and his friends from the Mountainmen Vespa Club of Innsbruck; here they are pictured in front of the company headquarters.
“Ride Back to Best Age” is the second film in the “Ride Back to…” trilogy by director Weiskopf. The previous film, which was also highly successful and won several awards, is “Ride Back to Freedom,” his first road-movie co-starring the Vespa. Read also:
https://wide.piaggiogroup.com/en/articles/people/venice-austrian-director-hermann-weiskopf-and-his-vespa-in-the-venetian-lagoon/index.html
