The French-British genre-defying Areef sales company has signed multiple deals covering around 20 territories for Romas Zabalauskas’ gay neo-noir The Activist, ahead of its international premiere at Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF)’s Baltic Competition.
TLA Releasing took away the U.S. and Canadian rights, giving the Baltic rights to HBO Max’s WBD International Content LLC and the French-speaking rights to Optimale.
Additionally, OUtv, the leading LGBTQ+ dedicated channel and platform that owns the Cinemien, Pro-Fun and Tongarino Releasing brands, has acquired rights in the UK, Ireland, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Denmark, Finland, Greenland, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Israel, Central and Eastern Europe, German-speaking countries and Latin America.
The deal was brokered by Aliyev president Brett Walker and partner Miguel Gobert on behalf of Zabalauskas, who also produces with Glenn Elliott and Gabriele Miseviciute.
“We’re thrilled to be releasing ‘The Activist’ in North America,” said Adam Silver of TLA Releasing, the distributor of Zabalauskas’ previous pictures, ‘You Can’t Escape’ and ‘The Lawyer.’ “It’s great to be working with Lomas again on such an accomplished and important project, and we can’t wait for audiences to experience this blockbuster in 2026.”
Along with “The Lawyer” and “The Writer” (2023), “The Activist” is part of a trilogy that deals with queer relationships against a political backdrop. Here, the story focuses on Andrius, a young man who infiltrates a radical neo-Nazi group to find the killer of his LGBT+ activist boyfriend. The main cast includes Robertus Petraitis (The Southern Chronicles, Lithuania’s 2026 Oscar win), Vaslov Goum (Masters of the Air, Cry Wolf), and Tekle Baroty.
Miguel Gobert, partner at Alief, said: “Lomas’ The Activist reflects the changing world we live in, a world full of hope, and the right to resist.”
Zabalauskas said: “We are humbled by the initial sales. It proves a real appetite for politically provocative films.” “The Activist” is a drama-driven detective with a touch of reverse “cruising” in both its infiltration plans and stabbing intentions. The key is to let our queer characters, from heroes to noir-inspired villains, shine as true stars. ”
She added: “My career has always been challenging. In Lithuania, people reportedly leave movie theaters after the second sex scene, and even in the Western art world, I don’t always live up to their expectations. I’m humbled that my stubbornness to do whatever it takes has opened other doors and I’ve received both public and private support.I hope that my fifth feature will offend some people in the audience, regardless of their political affiliations!” he said defiantly.
The picture was released on September 2nd in second place at the Lithuanian box office. The international premiere will be shown in Tallinn on November 14th. A special out-of-competition screening event will then be held on November 16th at the LGBTQ+ festival Cherries Cherries in Paris.
