The Finnish Film Foundation announced 150,000 euros in grant support for the Finnish/Lithuanian coproduction Santa co-produced by Lithuanian company ArtBox (www.artbox.lt).

Santa is produced by the Finland's CineWorks and TV station YLE. The films has a budget of 329,925 euros.

Santa was written by Lithuanian playwright Marius Ivaškevičius, who also directs. The film has a mixed Lithuanian and Finnish cast and cres, with Tuomo Hutri as DOP.

The film is set during the Christmas holiday season when Inga, a Lithuanian woman, arrives in a small town in the north of Finland with her seven-year-old son Vincas to visit a Santa Claus park and meet Santa Claus himself. At the local theatre in Rovaniemi Inga meets Jussi, a young Finnish actor, who works as a Santa Claus in the park. Trying to show the other side of the town, unknown to tourists, Jussi brings Inga and Vincas to the grange in the woods by a reindeer pulled sleigh, introduces her to his friends, takes her in Finnish sauna and tries his best to persuade her to stay. Inga and her son have to return to Vilnius. But because of Jussi's persistence the bond doesn't break. They exchange letters and visits, and eventually Inga with her son return to Finland, when the truth comes out: Vincas has leukemia and Inga hopes to get financial support from Jussi for the treatment her son needs. Jussi is confused and begins doubting Inga's feelings for him.

Credits:

Director, script: Marius Ivaškevičius

Cinematography: Tuomo Hutri

Costumes: Agnė Rimkutė

Make-up: Lina Mickevičiūtė

Cast: Tommi Korpela, Sandra Daukšaitė, Ovidijus Petrauskas

Contact Information:

"ARTBOX"
Labdarių 5
LT-01120 Vilnius
Lithuania

Phone/fax  +370 5 2643054
E-mail: artbox@artbox.lt

• Send us feedback
• Tell a friend
• Print