LevelK Nabs Finnish Dark Comedy ‘The Kidnapping of a President,’ Outlines Strategic Shift (EXCLUSIVE)
variety.comChristopher Vourlias LevelK has boarded the dark comedic drama “The Kidnapping of a President” by Finnish director Samuli Valkama (“No Thank You”), the company announced this week in Helsinki.
The film, which is produced by John Lundsten (“Renki”) and Melli Maikkula (“KilJuset”) for Tack Film, is based on the incredible, pulled-from-the-headlines story of the abduction of the first president of Finland.
In a director’s statement provided to Variety, Valkama noted: “‘The Kidnapping of a President’ tells an absurd and comical story based on real events about how in October 1930, a group of Finnish top echelon military officers went drinking and decided to kidnap the first — and already retired — president of Finland, Kaarlo Juho Ståhlberg.
The plan went south right at the outset,” he continued, “as the incompetent crew recruited for the task were forced to allow the stubborn wife of the president, Ester Ståhlberg, to come along.
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