[Closed] It Comes in Waves (Additional Roles)
Production Company
Lenz Films Inc.
Amir Zargara (Producer)
Fitch Jean (Director)
Shoot Date
May 14-31, 2023
Rate
ACTRA Indie Production (AIP)
Location
Accepting actors who can work in Ottawa, ON as locals, unless explicitly noted.
Union
Union (ACTRA)
Casting by
Self-tapes
Rachel Osbourne (Casting Director)
Production Description
Casting feature film It Comes in Waves from executive producer/director Fitch Jean.
Fitch Jean is a Haitian-Canadian storyteller and filmmaker. He has been shooting short films, interviews, docs, commercials, and music videos for the past 2 years and has won various awards thus far. He usually directs, DPs, and edits his own projects. He has worn all three hats on 2 feature documentaries, 3 Unscripted Web-series (50+ episodes), and various short films, commercials, and music videos. He has also won 6 awards for his short films with 15 selections at various film festivals.
The content of this production may be emotionally challenging. The production will aim to let you know in advance when potentially triggering material will be filmed or discussed.
Synopsis
A family of four escapes the genocide in Rwanda and lands in Ottawa. They quickly learn that the grass is not always greener on the other side. It Comes in Waves tells the story of Akai, a seventeen-year-old boy who has seen more than his share of death, which haunts him. He takes care of his little sister, Zera, while watching his mother suffer through her own nightmares of the past, fueled by narcotics. When things once again take a tragic turn, Akai does what he needs to for him and Zera to survive, and learns some life-changing lessons from her and the experience.
Roles
SONIA (Principal) * URGENT *
Female, mid to late 30s, Rwandese, Black, or East African. (Open to Ottawa/Toronto Actors)
Sonia Uwimana, a mid-thirties Rwandese woman, embodies complexity and depth in her character. We see her as a drug-dependent Tutsi widow and mother who can barely care for herself or her two children. The horrors she tries to cope with are the stuff of nightmares.
The teen mother to her first child, Akai, who was estranged from her upper-middle-class family to build a life with her college student husband, lost her whole family in the country’s tragic genocide. The trauma she experienced from the situation would haunt her forever and lead her to try to distance herself from her Rwandan identity and language once the family moved to North America. Her loss, including the suicide of her Hutu husband, is tied to the butchery that she witnessed in her homeland. In one final tragedy, Sonia's demons eventually got the best of her. The performance of this role includes actions of violence.
HABIMANA (Principal) * URGENT *
Male, mid to late 30s, Rwandese, Black, or East African. (Open to Ottawa/Toronto Actors)
At the beginning of our story, Habimana Uwimana has been dead for almost seven years, but his presence and influence still loom large over the Uwimana family. Plagued by the guilt of his inaction towards the anti-Tutsi sentiment that was growing in Rwanda and at his job, Habimana, a Hutu man, struggled with depression, alcoholism, and domestic violence. As he battled with himself, his relationship with his wife Sonia and his children deteriorated.
Two years after immigrating to North America, Habimana's PTSD became too much to bear, and he took his own life. His death profoundly impacted his family, who were left to grapple with the legacy of the trauma he experienced in Rwanda. The performance of this role includes actions of violence.
Languages: Actor must speak Kinyarwanda.
RWANDESE MAN (Principal) * URGENT *
Male, 40s to 60s, Rwandese. (Open to Ottawa/Toronto Actors)
An immigrant man who is active in the community. He has pride in his homeland despite its storied history, he believes the community can heal by coming together.
Languages: Actor must speak Kinyarwanda.
JUANITA (Principal)
Female, 50s to 60s, Black. (Open to Ottawa/Toronto Actors)
Juanita is the neighbor everyone wishes they had. She’s been living in the same neighborhood for the past 25 years. She got married young to her husband Jerome but unfortunately experienced infertility. The couple dedicated themselves to being parents to many children that needed it in the neighbourhood, babysitting for families as needed. Juanita believed this was Lord’s vision for her and Jerome, but some part of her still remains unfulfilled and wishes she could’ve had a family of her own. She is a teacher who is warm, loving, and wise.
Her retirement came after losing Jerome to cancer. His illness was swift and harsh, like so many others who worked in the factory where he was an engineer. An award from a lawsuit for negligence leading to death, Jerome’s pension, and life insurance allowed Juanita to further herself to the community.
CAPO (Principal)
Male, early 20s, SLIM BUILD, Black. (Ottawa Actors Only)
Andre Hammond, Aka Capo is a 22-year-old career criminal with a 7th-grade education. Like many in his situation, Capo grew up without a proper family structure. Very early on in his life, he had to fend for himself and figure out how to survive. His values are built around street code and the more hardened the person, the more he respects or fears them. He is loyal to his cousin and mentor, Drifty, but not much else.
Capo puts himself first and will not hesitate to drop anyone at the expense of his own self-preservation. Capo’s a very volatile individual that jumps head-first into conflict, his fight-or-flight nature comes from the shaky and uncertain setting in which he grew up. The performance of this role includes actions of violence.
STACY (Principal) * NEW *
Female, 18-25, BIPOC.
Stacy is a 19-year-old woman from the projects whose father was a notorious underground rapper and gang member from the neighborhood. Her mother was one of her father’s many girls. She is their only child together although her father has other children. When Stacy was very young her mother left her with her father and never looked back. Her father tried to leave street life behind but famously went to prison for a triple homicide in the neighbourhood. After his arrest, Stacy bounced around the child protection system, away from the home she knew. She became apathetic and numb from life.
She realized very early that she was alone and had to fend for herself and developed a survivor mentality. She moved back to the neighborhood once she turned 18, which became a way to face her demons and try to repair what was broken in her. Stacy became a sex worker as a means to an end. She uses it to get as much money as she can so she can move on to the next step of her life and to regain some control in her life. Stacy has been wounded by life enough to understand and empathize with Akai and he knows that, so he listens to her.
NEWS ANCHOR [VO] (Principal) * NEW *
Any Gender, 35-55, Any Ethnicity.
This is a voice-over role. The actor will read a newscast on a television that is off-screen. Actors with voice experience are preferred.
MR. FOWAZ (Actor)
Male, 50s to 60s, BIPOC. (Ottawa Actors Only)
Mr. Fowaz owns the neighbourhood convenience store where Akai works. He’s a quiet man who’s very observant and weary of the dangers in the community. He and Akai have a shorthand and trust that gets tested in times of desperation. The performance of this role includes actions of violence.
YOUNG AKAI (Actor)
Male, 9 to 12, Black or East African. (Ottawa Actors Only)
At his young age, 9-year-old Akai, has survived a genocide, being a refugee, and now witnessing and experiencing the violence of his parents. The performance of this role includes actions of violence.
STEVE (Actor) * NEW *
Male, 4 to 8, East African or Black. (Ottawa Actors Only)
A 5-year-old Rwandese boy, Akai’s childhood friend. We see him terrified, crying, and running through a farm before he is caught. This role is currently non-speaking/ SOC but the rate has been upgraded to ACTOR.
SERVER (Actor) * NEW *
Female, 20 to 35, Any Ethnicity. (Ottawa Actors Only)
A diner server who serves the siblings on Zera’s birthday. This role is currently non-speaking/ SOC but the rate has been upgraded to ACTOR.
REGGIE (Actor) * NEW *
Male, mid-20s, Black. (Ottawa Actors Only)
A soldier in Drifty’s network who handles big sums of money. He’s charismatic and popular in the community and hosts parties that everyone wants to attend. This role is currently non-speaking/ SOC but the rate has been upgraded to ACTOR.
ADAM (Actor) * NEW *
Male, 30s to 50s, White. (Ottawa Actors Only)
Adam is a social worker from Child Services who shows up to Akai’s house with his partner Sharon. This role is currently non-speaking/ SOC but the rate has been upgraded to ACTOR.
[submissions closed]
