Aku Louhimies’ long time collaborator Eero Aho will play one of the title roles in the director’s historical drama The Unknown Soldier set to start filming on June 6.
Aho has collected multiple awards for Louhimies previous films Tears of April (2008) and 8-Balls (2013). In The Unknown Soldier (Tuntematon Sotilas) adapted from the eponymous Finnish literary classic by Väinö Linna, Aho plays Corporal Rokka, whose seniority and experience in life allow him to stick to his own ways even under strict military order. Jussi Vatanen plays Second Lieutenant Koskela, and Finnish TV personality Aku Hirviniemi plays Corporal Hietanen.
14,000 have signed up to have cameos in the WW2 drama about a platoon of ordinary Finnish soldiers in the battlefield between Finland and the Soviet Union. “The story of The Unknown Soldier is very universal. It’s a gripping portrayal of how a tragedy changes us all,” said Louhimies who produces with Mikko Tenhunen.
The film is co-produced by Switzerland’s Catherine Ackermann and received backing from the Finnish Film Foundation, YLE and the Finnish Military Forces. SF Film Finland will release it in October 27, 2017, the year Finland celebrates the centenary of its independence.