Sava-Group, the company from Rovaniemi that owns the Hotel Santa Claus, had paid out 600,000 euros to Jokinen’s production company in share capital payments in 2008. The payment was supposed to guarantee a piece of the profits from the fantasy film, Nicholas North.
The movie, now scrapped, was meant to be filmed in Rovaniemi. The production company accommodations and meals were going to be paid for by Sava-Group, in accordance with their agreement at the time.
The district prosecutor says that Jokinen was simultaneously in talks about filming the movie in Levi, in Kittilä, Northern Finland. The company attained a stretch of land in Levi from natural resource hub Metsähallitus, and the village meant to be featured in the film was built on the site.
Before the project went bust, renowned American actor Julianne Moore was signed on to act in Nicholas North.
Antti Jokinen faces a sentence of 28 months. The District Court is afforded six days during which to deliberate.
Antti Jokinen will be filming the big-budget film, Wildeye (“Kätilö”) based on the hit novel by Finnish author Katja Kettu.
