Stephen Sawyerr’s electric short film centres on a karate dojo in Harlem’s Little Senegal
With illustrated type and a healthy sprinkle of nostalgia, this London-based filmmaker has made a fascinating documentation of a karate-chopping micro-community.
Stephen Sawyerr’s How Can Not? is such a cool short film, set in a Harlem karate dojo in Little Senegal. It’s full of energy, with a great mix of movement and cultural storytelling. What makes it really stand out is how Sawyerr works with local performers to ground the story in its community
As someone who loves animation and type, I can’t help but see the dojo’s movements as a metaphor for design—every action feels intentional, like strokes in typography or frames in motion. It’s got me thinking about how those rhythms could translate into animated lettering—tying movement, story, and culture together in a fresh way.
