This isn't the cancer story you're expecting.
Teaser
Get a glimpse into the unfiltered world that inspired Actually I Can — a raw, funny, and defiant short documentary told entirely through real-time social posts.
Humor becomes a lifeline and vulnerability becomes power.
Â
About the film
When a creative entrepreneur receives a shocking cancer diagnosis, she decides to document everything - not with polished interviews, but through the unfiltered lens of her phone. Actually I Can unfolds entirely through Nika’s real-time social media posts, blending humor, fear, and defiance into a raw portrait of resilience.
What begins as a coping mechanism becomes an experiment in radical self-expression - proof that even in life’s hardest moments, laughter and vulnerability can rewrite the story.
Tone - honest, defiant, uplifting.
Themes - resilience, creativity as survival, community, digital storytelling.
Credits
- Director - Producer - Editor: Nika Stewart
- Country: USA
- Language: English
- Runtime: 15 minutes
Director bio
Nika Stewart is an award-winning creative entrepreneur, filmmaker, and speaker whose work celebrates resilience, authenticity, and the art of rewriting your own story. During her own cancer treatments, she shared short, humorous videos that went viral for their raw honesty - sparking a new passion for storytelling through film. Actually I Can is her directorial debut - a fusion of digital storytelling and cinematic documentary craft.
"You make me feel so happy"
"You've shown me how to be a hero in my own life"
"Hope spoken"
"So powerful - you have deeply affected me"
"Needed this today."
"Oh my goodness, this is so inspiring - Nika Stewart you bring tears to my eyes and hope in my heart."
"So powerful and inspiring."
"You remind me I can do
hard things.
You are an inspiration and a guiding light for so many."
"OMG!!!! This is just so inspiring. I have God bumps and tears watching it. Yes, you can do it and you show all of us that we can all do it!"
"This kind of inspiration is exactly what the world needs right now đź’–đź’–đź’–"
About Nika Stewart
Filmmaker; bestselling author; TEDx speaker; and creative troublemaker in favor of joy.
Nika Stewart is a filmmaker, bestselling author, and creative entrepreneur whose work celebrates resilience, humor, and radical authenticity. As the founder of SHINE, she has helped thousands of entrepreneurs show up as their real selves online, turning vulnerability into visibility and stories into impact.
During her own cancer treatments, Nika began sharing short, funny videos from chemo chairs and hospital rooms. Those clips went viral, reaching hundreds of millions of views across platforms and building a global community that saw itself in her story. Her TEDx talk and bestselling book continue that mission, inviting audiences to rewrite their own narratives instead of accepting the ones handed to them.
Before Actually I Can, Nika co-produced and edited the award-winning documentary Extra Innings: Grandpa Got Game, which screened at festivals across the United States and earned multiple awards for its heart and humanity. Actually I Can is her solo directorial debut, blending her years of digital storytelling with a deeply personal cinematic journey.
Highlights
- Bestselling author on personal branding and authentic visibility
- TEDx speaker on vulnerability; creativity; and reinvention
- Viral video creator with hundreds of millions of views across platforms
- Co-producer and editor of award-winning doc Extra Innings: Grandpa Got Game
- Director of the short documentary Actually I Can
YOUTUBE
@NikaStewartSHINE
330KÂ subscribers
430Â mil+ views
TIKTOK
@nikastewartshine
110K followers
2.3 mil+ likes
@nikastewartshine
11K followers
Press kit
Assets for festivals, press, and partners.
EPK - Electronic Press Kit
Official materials for festivals, press, and partners, including the film synopsis, director’s statement, high-resolution stills, poster art, and downloadable assets.
Press release
Festival announcement, key quotes, and film details.
Stills pack
High resolution images suitable for media and festival use.
