IN WAVES AND WAR

CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED DOCUMENTARY IN WAVES & WAR RELEASES TRAILER AND KEY ART AHEAD OF LOS ANGELES THEATRICAL RELEASE AND NOV. 3 STREAMING PREMIERE ON NETFLIX

(Los Angeles, CA – September 24, 2025) The critically acclaimed documentary In Waves and War released trailer and key art today ahead of the planned theatrical release in Los Angeles October 3, and upcoming streaming premiere on Netflix Nov. 3. A deeply felt interrogation of the aftereffects of combat, the winding depths of trauma, and the relief of healing, In Waves and War offers a rare, intimate glimpse into the highly private world of Navy SEALs and their families, and a radical look at a revolutionary mode of healing. The film premiered at the Telluride Film Festival in 2024, and has since played festivals around the world.

Directed by award-winning filmmakers Jon Shenk and Bonni Cohen (Athlete A, Lost Boys of Sudan, Audrie & Daisy) of Actual Films, In Waves and War offers an intimate look into the lives of Veterans Exploring Treatment Solutions (VETS) founders Marcus and Amber Capone and two retired Navy SEAL teammates, Matthew Roberts and D.J. Shipley, as they discover the transformative power of psychedelic-assisted ibogaine therapy to combat treatment-resistant PTSD, traumatic brain injuries, and severe depression.

Blending intimate observational scenes and animation, the documentary traces the surprising journey of the Navy SEALs, tormented by their trauma, to Mexico where they embark on a new mission: to rescue one another with powerful psychedelics whose unworldly effects shake them to their core and open a path toward healing.

“In many ways, this is the most complex film we have ever made. We had the incredible privilege to work intimately with Navy SEALs and their families who are unaccustomed to opening up,” said Shenk and Cohen. “We also experienced the thrill of stretching ourselves artistically to come up with an animation style to present the vivid journeys that the SEALs experienced under the influence of psychedelics. We think the film offers hope for anybody who has experienced trauma of any sort, and it brings much needed attention to issues of mental health, especially within the veteran community which is suffering from a suicide epidemic.”

Alongside intimate verité, interview and archival footage the film team used animation from the London based award-winning animation team at STUDIO AKA to artfully recreate past memories and traumas with hand-drawn charcoal images and 3-D photogrammetry characters. Each ibogaine segment takes the audience into a unique psychological landscape through this stunning animation as Marcus, DJ and Matty are able to observe themselves in the past in a new, more objective way.

The film also follows first-of-its-kind scientific research, unfolding in real time from the Stanford Brain Stimulation Lab, that gives credence to the treatment and inspires hope for a future in which its use can extend into and beyond the veteran community.

At the cutting edge of psychedelic science and wellbeing, the treatment brings astonishing relief to the pain these men and their families have long endured, often in silence. Ibogaine — believed to also address, if not altogether reverse, issues of addiction and other trauma — is sending shockwaves of hope through not just the veteran community, but also across the spectrum of people suffering debilitating psychological disorders.

Hailed by critics as “powerful”, “infused with hope” and “storytelling filled with compassion”, the film has spent the past year building awareness around veterans’ issues, mental health, PTSD and alternative treatments. In a historic and bipartisan move the film was screened for the Texas State legislature, who went on to approve $50 million in state funding for drug development trials for ibogaine — supporting a powerful, naturally occurring medicine that shows extraordinary promise as a breakthrough treatment for substance use disorder, trauma-related conditions, and traumatic brain injury — as highlighted in the documentary.

Additional state screenings are planned throughout the fall, including in North Carolina, Georgia, Virginia and more.

For more about the film, visit https://www.inwavesandwarfilm.com.

PARTICIPANT presents in association with CHICAGO MEDIA PROJECT and MYCOSKIE ENTERPRISES an ACTUAL FILMS production, In Waves and War is directed by Jon Shenk and Bonni Cohen, produced by Jessica Anthony, Bonni Cohen, Jon Shenk,  edited by Don Bernier with a score by Bryce Dessner of The National.

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