Romas Zabarauskas (born 31 May 1990) [1] is a Lithuanian film director, screenwriter, author, [2] and producer. [3] He established the film company Naratyvas in 2012. [4] Zabarauskas, a member of the European Film Academy, completed film studies at the Paris 8 Vincennes Saint-Denis University with an exchange year at CUNY/Hunter. [5] He had previously attended the Jonas Basanavičius school in Vilnius. [6]
Zabarauskas made his debut with a short film Porno melodrama in 2011, which was shown at the international film festival Berlinale.
Openly gay, [7] Romas takes part in social actions against homophobia. He developed the LGBT Friendly Vilnius initiative, [8] a map of LGBTQ friendly cafes in Vilnius, which aims to promote openness to all sexualities, races, disabilities, and nationalities within the city.
Zabarauskas openly campaigns for LGBTQ+ rights. He published an open letter to the Lithuanian president regarding the country's partnership law. [12] He, among other Lithuanians, gathered at the Seimas to campaign for the Partnership Law to be passed, at which he was a speaker. [13] He also champions other causes, such as supporting refugees within Lithuania, namely in partnership with donation platform Aukok.It, in collaboration with the Lithuanian Red Cross, and as a member of the Become an Ambassador project. [14]
Romas Zabarauskas has been vegan since 2014. [15]