During its third project evaluation session, the Eurimages committee decided to support 24 feature-length films, including 4 documentaries and 3 animated films, for a total of €6,707,000. Among those chosen, director Ivan Salatić received €170,000 to develop his second feature, Melting of the Ruler.
Combining several stories, Salatić’sfilm is set in 19thcentury Montenegro, at the heart of the Morlak community. He explains his project in a press release: “The film is divided into five segments. The first and the last represent a paraphrase of a historical event. Then we move on to two stories, similar in scope, each with its own protagonist struggling against the prejudices and superstitions of their time.”
“My intention,” he clarifies, “is to create a possible view of the 19thcentury Mediterranean. The main character is inspired by the 19thcentury ruler, bishop and poet Petar Petrović Njegoš, emphasizing the poetic and solitary side of his personality. I’m interested in the conflict between this person’s tenderness and what was happening in Montenegro at the time, which was cruel.”
Produced in Montenegro by Jelena Angelovski and Dušan Kasalica (Meander Film) and co-produced by Nightswim (Italy), Non-Aligned Films (Serbia) and Dinaridi Film (Croatia), the film’s budget is estimated at €960,000.
Sources: Film New Europe, Cineuropa, Cinelink Industry Days
