Swedish director Lisa Ohlin will helm Simon And The Oaks (Simon Och Ekarne) after Björn Runge walked out on the project earlier this year.

Ohlin will leave her role as a consultant at the Swedish Film Institute to start on the project immediately.

As reported on ScreenDaily, Runge walked out on the $5m (SEK 45m) Götafilm project in April, claiming the producers ”were trying to limit his manoeuvring room and restrain his freedom of action”.

Ohlin said the project was “an offer I just couldn’t refuse”. Her most recent feature was 2005’s Sex, Hope and Love (Sex, Hopp & Kärlek).

Simon And The Oaks has received public development support and a letter of intent for production funding, but this was while Runge was still attached. Producer Christer Nilson will have to reaaply for funding now Ohlin has joined the project.

It has also been backed by the Danish and Norwegian film institutes, as well as Swedish public broadcaster SVT, Swedish regional film centre, Film i Väst, and German regional film funds Hamburg and Berlin-Brandenburg.

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