“This Time,” a romantic drama directed by Sebastian Tobler and starring “The Pit” actor Ken Kirby, has been acquired by Freestyle Digital Media. The film will be available on digital HD Internet, cable and satellite platforms and on DVD in North America starting February 10th.
Tobler’s feature directorial debut, The Time, follows two high school sweethearts, Colin (Kirby) and Laela (Leilani Nicol), who unexpectedly reunite in Los Angeles after being separated during the 1998 Jakarta riots. Twenty-three years later, Laella is now a globe-trotting sculptor who uses her professional success to hide her loneliness, while Colin is leaving California for Pennsylvania to support his wife’s ambitions.
The film’s official logline reads: “Over the course of a day, these two characters reconsider the choices that drove them apart, confronting whether their bond is rooted in lasting love or nostalgia, and what it will cost to rekindle their past.”
“We live in an age of endless scrolling and constant distraction,” says Tobler. “This “Time” is the story of two people who choose to give each other their uninterrupted presence for a day, no phone calls, no performances, just the raw experience of being seen by someone who knew them before they learned to manage themselves. In a world so designed, that level of sincerity feels almost radical. My hope is that the audience recognizes some of their own longing in these characters and feels invited to slow down enough to truly see and be seen by the people they love.”
“This Time,” which Tobler also wrote, premiered at the 2023 Los Angeles Asia Pacific Film Festival and was selected as a feature film. At the 2023 Asian American International Film Festival, the film won the Emerging Director Award for the writer and director. Tobler was also named a 2024 Stowe Launch Fellow. His next film, Bodies of Water, and Kamikz Blue, a coming-of-age drama set in 1990s Bangkok, are both currently in development.
Best known for playing night shift doctor Dr. John Shen on HBO Max’s “The Pit,” Kirby has also appeared in “Dynasty,” “Good Trouble” and “Grand Hotel.” Nicole’s past credits include the 2024 films “You Are Always Right Here” and “Filthy Animals.” “The Baltimorons” star and co-writer Michael Strassner will also appear in the film as Mark. “This Time” was produced by Teresa Chiu.
Freestyle Digital Media is the digital film distribution division of Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group. World and airline rights to this film are owned by EST N8.
