The initial solidification problem of a two-dimensional liquid metal film flow over a heat extracting moving boundary is studied. Analytical solutions in the limit of large Peclet numbers are found. It is shown that the point of initial solidification depends on the Peeler number. the Blot number and the superheat. The initial growth of the solidified phase is found to have a quadratic dependence of the distance from the point of initial solidification. The results are applicable to continuous strip casters. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.