Feature Debut from Emerging Director Award-Winner Sebastian Tobler Launches on North American VOD Platforms February 10, 2026
LOS ANGELES, CA, UNITED STATES, February 10, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Freestyle Digital Media, the digital film distribution division of Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group, has just released the romantic drama THIS TIME, which is now available to rent/own on North American digital HD internet, cable, and satellite platforms, as well as on DVD, starting February 10, 2026.
Starring Ken Kirby (Emmy-nominated series THE PITT) as Colin, Leilani Nicol (formerly known as Leila Perry) as Laela, and Michael Strassner (star and co‐writer of THE BALTIMORONS, directed by Jay Duplass) as Marc, THIS TIME follows two high school sweethearts separated during the 1998 Jakarta riots who unexpectedly reunite in Los Angeles 23 years later. Laela, now a world-traveling sculptor, masks her loneliness behind professional success, while Colin prepares to relocate to Pennsylvania to support his wife’s career. Over the course of a single day, the pair revisit the choices that pulled them apart and confront whether their connection is rooted in enduring love or nostalgia – and what it might cost to rekindle the past.
Written and directed by Sebastien Tobler and produced by Theresa Chiu, the film marks Tobler’s feature directorial debut. THIS TIME premiered as the centerpiece selection of the 2023 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival before earning Tobler the Emerging Director Award at the 2023 Asian American International Film Festival. Tobler – a Filipino-Swiss writer/director whose multicultural upbringing across seven countries informs his cinematic voice – was also named a 2024 Stowe Launch Fellow, where his next feature, BODIES OF WATER, is being developed for presentation to studios and investors. He is additionally in development on KAMIKAZE BLUE, a 1990s Bangkok coming-of-age drama.
“We live in an age of infinite scroll and constant distraction. THIS TIME is about two people choosing to give each other one uninterrupted day of presence – no phones, no performances, just the unvarnished experience of being seen by someone who knew you before you learned to curate yourself,” said Sebastien Tobler. “In a world engineered for shallow connection, that level of honesty feels almost radical. My hope is that audiences recognize a piece of their own longing in these characters and feel invited to slow down long enough to truly see – and be seen by – the people they love.”
Freestyle Digital Media negotiated a deal to acquire THIS TIME directly with Tobler and Chiu. Global and airline rights for THIS TIME are owned by EST N8.
THIS TIME website: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21524066/
ABOUT FREESTYLE DIGITAL MEDIA
The digital distribution unit of Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group, Freestyle Digital Media, is a premiere multi-platform distributor with direct partnerships across all major cable, satellite, digital, and streaming platforms. Capitalizing on a robust infrastructure, proven track record, and a veteran sales team, Freestyle Digital Media is a true home for independent films. Recent releases include ALLSWELL IN NEW YORK starring Emmy award-winning actress Liza Colón-Zayas from the hit FX series THE BEAR, ALL HAPPY FAMILIES starring Josh Radnor and Rob Huebel, the drama based on a novel THE GHOST TRAP starring Zak Steiner from EUPHORIA and Greer Grammer of AWKWARD, and the Weekly World News horror-comedy THE ZOMBIE WEDDING. Other Freestyle Digital Media titles include THE ROAD DOG starring comedian Doug Stanhope, SURVIVE starring HBO’s GAME OF THRONES star Sophie Turner and Corey Hawkins, the music documentary profiling blues guitar legends Jimmie Vaughan and Stevie Ray Vaughan, BROTHERS IN BLUES, DEAR ZOE starring Sadie Sink from the hit Netflix series STRANGER THINGS, Jessica Capshaw and Theo Rossi, the teen musical BEST SUMMER EVER featuring a fully integrated cast and crew of people with and without disabilities, produced by Jamie Lee Curtis, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Mary Steenburgen, and Ted Danson, and THE WEDDING YEAR starring Sarah Hyland and Anna Camp.
For more information, visit:
www.allenmedia.tv
www.freestyledigitalmedia.tv
For Director Sebastien Tobler Inquiries:
Stephanie Pfingsten / Mia Lobito
Lumos PR
stephanie@lumos-pr.com
mia@lumos-pr.com
Eric Peterkofsky / Sarah Madden
Allen Media Group/Freestyle Digital Media
Eric@es.tv / Sarah.Madden@es.tv
Official FDM Trailer – THIS TIME (2026)
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