Team
THE FFF TEAM
Volker Hölzl
Volker Hölzl founded his event agency OFF ON (formerly Programat) in 1999, which specializes in event formats in the alpine sector. In 2004, the platform “The Freeride Experience” for deep-snow ski camps was born. The Freeride Filmfestival, launched in 2010, is today the largest festival of its kind in Europe. At the FFF, he holds both the business and artistic overall management.
Paul Schweller
Paul Schweller is a filmmaker based in Vienna, originally from Munich. He works in directing, cinematography, and editing, and holds a bachelor’s degree in Theatre, Film, and Media Studies from the University of Vienna. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Critical Studies at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna. With his collective Mountain Tribe, he has made award-winning mountain sports films – including Metanoia (Official Selection FFF 2020) and Sariri (Official Selection FFF 2024).
At FFF 2026, he is the interface between the festival and the filmmakers and is responsible for film management.
Tori Reichel
Tori Reichel is a freelance journalist, host, and format developer working at the intersection of sociopolitics and pop culture, combining journalistic rigor with cinema-level aesthetics. After a stint at Vice (2014–2018), he has worked freelance ever since, including for Die Zeit and ZDF, was the face of the music magazine AUX on Canal+ Austria (2021–2023), and has hosted events for Ars Electronica, Boiler Room, and Red Bull. He’s also active as a DJ. His work has been honored with the Prälat Unger Prize and a spot on The Austrian Journalist’s “30 under 30” list. Tori is based in Vienna, with roots in Nigeria, Sweden, and the US.
He is the new host at the FFF Prime Tour.
Martin Obermayr
Editor-in-chief
As a skilled worker for text elements Martin likes to play with letters. At the FFF he is allowed to do so basically without supervision. He makes sure that we start conversations in the summer and don’t lose our language in the rather hectic autumn.
Hannes Kropik
Editor
Hannes Kropik, journalist, winter enthusiast and passionate passive sportsman. He has been professionally involved in freeriding for years. Already on tour with the Freeride Film Festival in 2017 as a social media person and co-host, now back at it again as a writer, poster and podcaster.
Harry Putz
Co-founder of the Freeride Filmfestival. Harry Putz is a filmmaker himself and has a keen sense for what it takes to manage a production from vision to cinema screening. Since 2026, Harry is no longer operationally involved in the business.
Lena Öller
Lena writes as a freelance journalist for Bergwelten magazine, among others, and is a press officer for the climate protection association Protect Our Winters. In 2024, she will be moderating the Freeride Film Festival for the first time, guiding the program together with Martin Misof and interviewing the athletes and filmmakers for the FFF Instagram account.