Koko Da Doll

D. Smith

Bill Butler

Harris Doran

Daniella Carter

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.

Magnolia Pictures 

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. 

2023 Sundance Film Festival 

Winner | Audience Award for Best Documentary

Berlinale

Make no mistake, Smith announces wordlessly from behind the camera: I have arrived to change the game.

Jude Dry

Smith shot, directed, and edited “Kokomo” almost completely on her own, demonstrating an often-breathtaking cinematic eye for a first-time filmmaker. 

Kokomo City