Managed by the professional online platform Coprocity (read our interview), which works in partnership with 16 co-production markets, the second Coprocity Development Prize has been handed to The Meltdown (El deshielo) by Manuela Martelli.

From among ten pre-selected pretenders (read our article), the jury chose to reward "an elegantly written project with a plot shrouded in mystery, set in the spectacular scenery of an Andean ski resort. Following in the footsteps of her first feature, Manuela Martelli takes a critical look at Chilean society in the early 90s, skilfully blending genres from coming-of-age through to thriller, from high-level sports to a subtle study of family ties".

Having previously turned heads at the 2022 Directors’ Fortnight, by way of her first feature film, 1976, Manuela Martelli’s The Meltdown takes us back to 1992. The parents of 11-year-old Inés are away on a business trip and she is left in the care of her grandparents who own a hotel at the foot of a ski resort. Here, Inés befriends 16-year-old Hanna, a European skier who has come to train in Chile. But one night, Hanna disappears and the search for her reveals a whole series of secrets… Production on this movie is steered by Alejandra García on behalf of Chilean outfit Wood Producciones, in co-production with Mexico’s Piano, Germany’s Pandora Film Produktion, Argentina’s Rei Cine, Spain’s Elastica Films and French firm Dulac Productions.

A Special Mention also went to Ukrainian director Masha Kondakova for her first feature film project Warrior, "a singular yet gripping tale, centred on a female sniper returning from the Ukrainian front who is forced to embark on a personal battle: an investigation into her father's disappearance against a backdrop of corruption and deforestation". This project is steered by Valeria Sochyvets on behalf of Contemporary Ukrainian Cinema.

The jury in question was composed of international sales agent Marie Lamboeuf (Urban Sales), Neuza Bagorro (of Arizona Distribution’s acquisitions unit) and the writer of this article. The Coprocity Development Prize consists of 3,500 euros, as well as a promotional campaign worth 2,800 euros on the Cineuropa website.

For the record, the 2022 Coprocity Prize was jointly awarded to Maura Delpero for The Mountain Bride and Frida Kempff for The Swedish Torpedo (read our news).