Fitch Jean, the founder and creative behind Exalta Productions, has been on a whirlwind of showcasing his new feature film, “It Comes in Waves,” which will make its premiere in Los Angeles at the 2026 Pan African Film Festival on Feb. 19 at 7:50pm at the Culver Theatre located at 9500 Culver Blvd, Culver City, CA.
The film comes just three years after Jean’s debut short film, “More than Hair,” made its rounds. It is Jean’s first directorial feature debut, which he also edited and co-wrote. The film was written by Sammy Mohammed and executive produced by Fitch Jean, Lovell Adams-Gray, Sam Ibrahim, Weggon Allen, and Franckie Francois. Last year, the film won 5 major awards from the Reelworld Film Festival.
“It Comes in Waves” focuses on the intricate intergenerational experience of the Rwandan diaspora in Canada as a young boy, by the name of Akai (Adrian Walters), battles with the intergenerational trauma that his family suffered through the Rwandan genocide. Akai trudges through life, navigating multiple barriers as the film centers on the main themes of identity, the violence of memory, family, and the experiences of migration.
In an interview with Our Weekly, Jean said that “It Comes in Waves” followed the same thematic themes of “More than Hair,” emphasizing the same visual shots and music placements and their influence throughout his directorial debut. He also expressed gratitude for the film being screened for its LA premiere at PAFF.
As a Haitian-Canadian filmmaker, telling a story from the Rwandan diasporic perspective with authenticity and care was very important to Jean.
“I think the idea of trauma and experiencing it is not sold to one community. I have my own experience of [trauma] within my community and with myself as an individual, so I wanted to explore this idea of trauma within a community of Black people.”
He continued, “The reason why I focused on Rwanda first is because I have a lot of Rwandan friends. I remember vividly having a conversation with somebody that was a friend to the family. They discussed their experience with the genocide and how it still affects them to this day, and this person is in their late 40s.”
“He was very emotional about it. It struck me because it happened so long ago, yet his pain was deep-rooted, and it deeply affected him. I even saw it in the way he behaved. I used [that experience] as the backstory and inspiration for my characters.”
Jean then focused on connecting deeply with members of the Rwandan community to understand their experiences with the Rwandan genocide and its aftermath and used it as influence for characters such as Akai, his father Habimana (Marshall Ubaruta), Sonia (Olunike Adeliyi), and Zera (Nendia Lewis).
Adrian Walters, who plays the main character Akai, is a Canadian award-nominated actor best known for his recurring role in “The Handmaid’s Tale,” “In the Dark,” and “Star Trek: Discovery.” He spoke about how before obtaining the role, he prayed a lot about the role and also had a three-hour conversation with Fitch Jean so he could really understand Jean’s goals for the character as a filmmaker. Once he got the role, he immediately began to study for it.
“The first thing I do for every project is take it to God. I prayed and said, ‘Lord, please, in my preparation to portray this character, help me stay out of my own way.’ It was a process and required me to bring a lot of empathy. It also required me to learn as much as I could by being a student of history and what happened [in the Rwandan genocide].”
A Jamaican-Canadian immigrant, it was important for him to truly study the role and Rwandan history in order to understand how to properly portray the character’s narrative. He said that during other screenings in cities such as Texas, a man walked out of the theater due to how much the film hit home. Another viewer, a woman, was so impressed with how well Walters portrayed Akai that she couldn’t believe he wasn’t Rwandan himself.
“In my learning, I would listen to trauma hotlines, falling asleep to them, and watched hours of video footage on YouTube, which was a great source. I was able to hear the stories of genocide survivors, specifically from Rwanda, people who lived through it. I listened to their experiences and how they articulated the microexpressions. I noticed how certain information even caused triggers in their bodies… it was so haunting, but the job had to be done.”
Ubaruta, who played the lead role of Habimama, spoke about having similar experiences to the character, as he is also Rwandan and grew up as a child through the genocide and had family members who also experienced it. He also served as an associate producer for the film.
“There are many stories that I grew up listening to. For my character, I would put myself in the shoes of the people who experienced the genocide. My older family members, sisters, brothers, and uncles told me the stories about the genocide. I was the youngest at the time, six years old, during the genocide.”
He said that although he lived through it, he would forget at times as he got older, so other family members had to remind him of what they all experienced because it was traumatic. He utilized those vivid and violent memories to inform his acting. His character, Habimama, is also the husband of Sonia, Akai’s mother in the film.
For more information, please visit PAFF.org.