NOR26: The Kidnapping of a President

Australian premiere

Presidentin Kyyditys

From Samuli Valkama (The Man Who Died) and inspired by bizarre true events, The Kidnapping of a President is a blackly comedic drama about the fragility of democracy and the chaos of incompetence.

Finland, 1930, in the aftermath of the civil war, far-right movements are gaining ground and political violence is commonplace. During a drunken hunting trip with the charismatic and dangerous General Kurt Matti Wallenius, the Lieutenant Colonel Eero Kuussaari (Jussi Vatanen, Fallen Leaves) impulsively orders the kidnapping of retired former president Kaarlo Juho Ståhlberg (Pertti Sveholm, 100 Litres of Gold) to spark a revolution.

The next morning, Kuussaari wakes up far from Helsinki with no memory of what he has done. Meanwhile, his order is being carried out by a group of young, eager yet inexperienced men who abduct Ståhlberg. But their plan immediately falters when Ester Ståhlberg forces her way into the car, refusing to let her husband go alone. With no leadership, no preparation, and growing panic, the kidnapping begins to unravel as Wallenius and his allies scramble to regain control.

Festivals

OFFICIAL SELECTION - International Film Festival Rotterdam 2026

2026 | Finland, Czech Republic, Netherlands, Estonia 
Finnish with English subtitles