Kino Lorber has acquired U.S. distribution rights to the period Chilean mystery The Meltdown, the sophomore feature of actress-turned-writer/director Manuela Martelli (God Will Not Help, The Future), which had its world premiere in the Un Certain Regard section of this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
The company will release the movie theatrically in early 2027, followed by a digital, educational, and home video release.
The follow-up to writer-director Martelli’s General Augusto Pinochet-era political thriller Chile ‘76 stars Maya O’Rourke, Maia Rae Domagala, Saskia Rosendahl, Jakub Gierszal, Paulina Urrutia and Mauricio Pešutić. The Hollywood Reporter featured the film as a hidden gem of the Cannes 2026 program.
Set in 1992, just two years after the end of Pinochet’s regime and amid Chile’s “economic miracle,” nine-year-old Inés is staying at her grandparents’ Andean ski resort while her parents attend a trade conference in Seville. She befriends Hanna, a German teenager training to be a competitive skier while rebelling against the strictures of her regimented life. When Hanna vanishes without a trace and her mother enlists Inés’ help as a translator, the search for the missing teenager raises questions and exposes hidden truths that test the young girl’s loyalties and echo her country’s dark history.
The deal for The Meltdown was negotiated by Kino Lorber vp of acquisitions Karoliina Dwyer and Alex C. Lo of Cinema Inutile.
In addition to the U.S. deal, the film has been sold internationally by Alice Lesort of Les Films du Losange to France (Les Films du Losange), Benelux (Imagine), Switzerland (Trigon-Film), Portugal (Leopardo Filmes), Greece (Weird Wave), Turkey (Chantier Films), Iceland (Bíó Paradís), Poland (Cinobo) and CIS excluding Ukraine and the Baltic countries (Universal Distribution). The film will also be distributed in Chile (El Camino), Spain (Elastica) and Mexico (Piano).
“I am very happy to be renewing our collaboration with Kino Lorber and Trigon Film, [which] released Chile ’76 in the United States and Switzerland”, said Martelli. “It is very encouraging to know that The Meltdown will have a life in so many territories. That is what ultimately gives a film its true meaning and purpose: reaching people.”
And she emphasized: “The Meltdown deals with a moment in Chile’s history when democracy was only just beginning to recover after a long period of dictatorship. I hope that this exercise of revisiting history will resonate with audiences around the world and help us feel closer to one another. In the end, I believe our histories are often far more connected and similar than we tend to imagine.”
Dwyer said Kino Lorber was “thrilled” to be reteaming with Martelli, highlighting that her “previous film Chile ‘76 was a hit with U.S. critics and audiences alike.” And she added: “With The Meltdown, she once again brilliantly employs elements of mystery/thriller filmmaking to explore Chile’s political history from the perspective of strong and complex female protagonists.”
The Meltdown was produced by Alejandra García for Ronda Cine in Chile, Alex C. Lo for Cinema Inutile in the U.S. and Andrés Wood for Wood Producciones in Chile. It was co-produced by María Zamora for Elastica Films in Spain, Julio Chavezmontes for Piano in Mexico and Pablo Díaz for Fundación Río in Chile.
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