
2023 • Documentary
This film is no longer available.
About the film
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.
Director
D. Smith
Producer
Bill Butler, Harris Doran
Awards & recognition
2023 Sundance Film Festival
Winner | Next Innovation Award
2023 Sundance Film Festival
Winner | Audience Award Next
Berlinale
Winner | Audience Award for Best Documentary
What people are saying
‘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. ‘
Gregory Ellwood
Gallery