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.
