Vitalius and Albinas have been together for 52 years. As they grow old and Albinas’ memory slowly fades, Vitalius is tired of hiding and decides to tell their life story publicly for the first time. This documentary, created for LRT’s Radijo dokumentika series, tenderly unspools the years they’ve spent together.

Lithuania currently does not recognise either same sex marriages or civil unions. After ‘Coming Out‘ aired on Lithuanian radio, its online version quickly became the most shared and streamed episode in the show’s history. It reopened a public debate on human rights and led to activists organising a symbolic humanist wedding ceremony for Vitalius and Albinas. It was the first time Vitalius held Albinas’ hand in public. Twenty-one thousand people signed the certificate as witnesses – a document which Vitalius has now handed over to the national museum.

Produced by Rūta Dambravaitė and Inga Janiulytė-Temporin

Translation by Vaida Pilibaitytė and Justinas Šuliokas

Winner of the Prix Europa European Audio Documentary of the Year 2024 and featured at the EBU Audio Storytelling Festival 2024.

Rūta Dambravaitė is a journalist at Lithuanian National Radio and Television, LRT, creating audio stories for almost a decade. She produces the program Radijo dokumentika and covers global cultural events. Her stories focus on social, historical, and cultural topics. Currently, Rūta is studying visual anthropology and documentary practices at the University of Münster, Germany. She is always looking for ways to tell stories sensitively and responsibly, making an effort to understand her subjects and the context they come from.

Inga Janiulytė-Temporin has been working as an environmental journalist and audio documentary producer at Lithuanian National Radio and Television, LRT, since 2017. She is interested in untold stories and providing a platform to people and places that have not had access to it before.