Haitian-Canadian filmmaker Fitch Jean’s debut feature, It Comes in Waves, opened the 25th ReelWorld Film Festival with a poignant story of trauma, resilience, and diaspora connection. The film marks a full-circle moment for Jean, a past festival alum, now spotlighting conversations on mental health and Black healing.
The 25th anniversary of the ReelWorld Film Festival opened on October 16 with a story that resonates across borders, languages, and generations. It Comes in Waves, directed by Haitian-Canadian filmmaker Fitch Jean, set the tone for this milestone edition with its hauntingly beautiful exploration of mental health, intergenerational trauma, and the unspoken bonds of the Black diaspora.
For Jean, who is based in Ottawa, this premiere represents both a creative triumph and a personal milestone. Having first screened a short film at ReelWorld in 2022 and participated in the festival’s inaugural Directors Immersion Program in 2024, seeing his debut feature open the 25th edition feels like coming full circle. It’s also a testament to Tonya Williams, ReelWorld’s visionary founder, whose two-and-a-half-decade mission to nurture diverse storytellers has shaped Canada’s cinematic landscape. Her tireless commitment continues to ensure that filmmakers like Jean can find a home—and an audience—for their stories.
“It Comes in Waves is about the silence we inherit and the healing we choose,” says Jean. “It’s a film about what survival looks like when the systems aren’t built for us.”
Set within the Rwandan diaspora in Canada, It Comes in Waves follows Akai, a young refugee and track star who becomes the sole caretaker for his younger sister after their parents’ deaths—his father by suicide, his mother by overdose. What unfolds is an intimate portrait of a family fractured by history but striving toward wholeness. The film’s quiet power lies in how it addresses generational pain not through spectacle, but through stillness—the way grief lingers in a gaze, or hope flickers in a shared meal.
Jean’s choice to centre a Rwandan family is deeply intentional. Although he is Haitian, his time in Ottawa introduced him to a vibrant Rwandan community whose stories of loss, resilience, and rebirth resonated profoundly. “I’ve had close friends share what their families went through, especially around the genocide and its aftermath,” he explains. “I saw reflections of the same emotional weight many Haitians carry—the need to stay strong, the silence around mental health, the belief that vulnerability is a luxury.”
This cross-diaspora empathy fuels the film’s emotional core. Rather than portray trauma through a Western lens, Jean collaborated closely with Rwandan community members, casting non-actors who speak Kinyarwanda and ensuring cultural authenticity in every scene. The result is a film that feels lived-in and truthful, layered with the textures of language, memory, and survival.
It Comes in Waves stars Adrian Walters (The Handmaid’s Tale, The Porter) as Akai, alongside Olunike Adeliyi (Workin’ Moms, Titans), Nendia Lewars (Nala in Disney's The Lion King at Mirvish Productions, The Fire Inside ), Brandon McKnight (The Flash), and Emmanuel Kabongo (Star Trek: Discovery). The film was produced by Amir Zargara and distributed in Canada by Mongrel Media, following its world premiere earlier this year at the American Black Film Festival in Miami.
Jean’s direction balances poetic intimacy with grounded realism—recalling the emotional pacing of Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight or Joshua Marston’s Maria Full of Grace. Working as both director and editor, he lets moments breathe, guided by music, ambient sound, and the silence between words. “I wanted the film to feel like memory itself—fluid, nonlinear, and shaped by what we can’t let go of,” he notes.
Thematically, the film continues Afro-diasporic conversations that AfroToronto has long explored: mental health in Black communities, the pressures of migration, and the generational cost of survival. For Jean, It Comes in Waves is not a film about despair—it’s a film about healing. “It’s about the next generation deciding they won’t inherit the silence,” he says.
As ReelWorld celebrates its 25th year, this opening night selection feels fitting. Tonya Williams’ festival has long been a beacon for representation in Canadian cinema, launching countless careers and creating space for stories that reflect the full spectrum of the Black and racialized experience. Her unwavering dedication has built not just a festival, but a creative family—one that continues to lift emerging filmmakers like Jean onto a national and international stage.
ReelWorld’s anniversary season runs until October 26, featuring an inspiring lineup of films that span genres, languages, and perspectives. Audiences can experience It Comes in Waves and other powerful works that embody the festival’s legacy of storytelling that informs, heals, and connects.
🎟 Learn more and book tickets: www.reelworld.ca/festival-screenings
