I was interested in ‘KOKOMO CITY’ because I’d been familiar with Harris Doran’s work from his Sundance 2022 film ‘F^¢K ’€M R!GHT B@¢K‘. I was delighted to see that Sundance 2023 would bring that he was involved in ‘KOKOMO CITY’, and I was excited to watch D Smith’s directorial debut. This documentary captures the lives of transgender sex workers Daniella Carter, Koko Da Doll, Liyah Mitchell, and Dominique Silver. All of the ladies have bold personalities, and unique perspectives on how they view the world. Daniella Carter became the friend in my head, as I found myself shouting at the screen agreeing with her activist points.
About ‘KOKOMO CITY’
KOKOMO CITY takes up a seemingly simple mantle — to present the stories of four Black transgender sex workers in New York and Georgia. Shot in striking black and white, the boldness of the facts of these women’s lives and the earthquaking frankness they share complicate this enterprise, colliding the every day with cutting social commentary and the excavation of long-dormant truths. Sharing reflections on knotty desire, far-reaching taboo, identification in labor, and gender’s many meanings, these women offer an unapologetic and cutting analysis of Black culture and society at large from a vantage point that is vibrating with energy, sex, challenge, and hard-earned wisdom.
This vital portrait is the daring directorial debut of D. Smith. A veteran of the music industry and a Grammy-nominated producer, singer, and songwriter, Smith brings her sonic skills into stunning harmony with a visual style whose grit and brassiness match the energy and spirit she elicits from her participants. Unfiltered, unabashed, and unapologetic, Smith and her subjects smash the trendy standard for authenticity, offering a refreshing rawness and vulnerability unconcerned with purity and politeness.
Meet the Artist | D Smith
D. Smith is a two-time Grammy-nominated songwriter-producer who produced and is featured on “Shoot Me Down” from Lil Wayne’s 8x platinum album Tha Carter III and wrote and produced the No. 1 Billboard dance single “Love Yourself” by Billy Porter. She made history as the first trans woman cast on a primetime unscripted TV show. This is Smith’s directorial feature film debut.
Credits
- DIRECTOR(S) D. SMITH
- PRODUCER D. SMITH, HARRIS DORAN, BILL BUTLER
- EXECUTIVE PRODUCER STACY BARTHE, WILLIAM MELILLO
- EDITOR D. SMITH
- CINEMATOGRAPHER D. SMITH
- POST-SOUND RIC SCHNUPP
- COLOR GRADING JEFF KYLE
- CAST DANIELLA CARTER, KOKO DA DOLL, LIYAH MITCHELL, DOMINIQUE SILVER
Related Links: https://www.blackfilm.com/read/sundance-2023-bravo-burkina/
