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Kokomo City
2023
Directed by two-time Grammy nominee D. Smith, 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 everyday with cutting social commentary and the excavation of long-dormant truths. Accessible for any audience, 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.
Directed by: D. Smith
Produced by: D. Smith, Harris Doran, and Bill Butler
Executive Producer: Lena Waithe, Rishi Rajani, Stacy Barthe, William Melillo
Starring: Daniella Carter, Koko Da Doll, Liyah Mitchell, Dominique Silver
"Punchy delivery styles, shimmering personalities and kaleidoscopic perspectives make up the soul of D. Smith’s gutsy documentary Kokomo City, which chronicles the experiences of four Black trans women sex workers living in New York and Atlanta"
– The Hollywood Reporter
"D. Smith directs, edits, and shoots a luminous portrait of four Black trans women in all of their joy, pain, and beauty."
– IndieWire
"This unforgettable format-defying film tackles issues of safety, sexual identity and desire from the perspective of several trans women who’ve seen it all."
– Variety
