Sundance Film Festival hit KOKOMO CITY gives us unfiltered access to the insights of four Black trans women sex workers in Atlanta and New York City - Daniella Carter, Koko Da Doll, Liyah Mitchell, and Dominique Silver - each telling their own no-holds-barred stories. Drawing on her experience as a two-time Grammy Award-winning music producer, director D Smith, brings a kinetic energy to the storytelling that parallels the quick-fire vitality of her contributors.
We spoke with D Smith about how she set out to humanize the experience of transgender sex workers, about her distinctive creative approach as a first time filmmaker, and about the solidarity that the film aims to galvanise. Speaking with D Smith is our Impact Producer Toni Lee.
Toni Lee:
Thanks so much for joining us. It's such a pleasure to speak to you about your debut feature Kokomo City - a really refreshing, bold and exciting film. Unlike anything I've seen. I also think that cold opening is something that should go down in storytelling history because it was just so smart and funny and so well-timed. Thank you. So obviously, you've experienced success in the music industry - a two-time Grammy Award winning producer, singer songwriter. So I'd just love to know, why did you turn to filmmaking and how Kokomo City was born?
D Smith:
Well, I've been producing music for over 15 years in the industry. I've worked with a lot of artists, and 2014 I decided to transition and when I did that yeah everyone was just like, peace. Good luck with that! And yeah, all of my connections, all of my contacts and relationships were just non-existent at that point. I've had a couple people still stay by my side, but it wasn't enough for me to sustain you know, my life. So I basically struggled for years - homeless and depending on people, relying on people, and when music is the only thing that you know, since a child, it’s very hard as a trans woman, trying to transition, to find work. How do you do this when people know that you're the producer of Shoot Me Down for Lil Wayne, or you work with André 3000. I was like, what am I supposed to do? So I went through a really dark space, trying to figure that out for years. But the idea to do Kokomo City came to me in like 2019 or so when I thought about it, and I just started to pursue looking for directors and people. Again, I was turned down by everyone. No one wanted to do it. And so it left me with no choice but for me to be the director and that's how I got here.
Toni Lee:
I mean, so often, especially for Black women filmmakers, they are left to kind of put everything together themselves and create something from scratch. I also think that this is to the credit of the film - as you can really feel the authenticity and honesty there. The music, as well as stylistically. It really stands out. The music is silky smooth, and shot in black and white - beautiful imagery, and the tone as well - so humorous and sometimes outlandish. I'd love to know more about your creative approach going into this being the main force creatively and having a distinct style?
D Smith:
That's exactly what it was. I really wanted to. It was very important for me. I didn't have a lot of options as far as how I am going to get back on my feet or take care of myself. I think the main motivation was damn like, if I am, you know, in this situation, imagine trans women that never had anything close to opportunities that I have, and that I've had, even though I've worked very hard, I avoided a lot of things that trans women have to go through to maintain a living, and so I was drawn to the story in the narrative of sex workers - the girls that aren't heard, that aren't protected, that aren't respected, that aren't seen. I wanted to tell the story in the most creative, but most dignifying, way. So it was like a cross, how do I serve them and serve myself at the same time as a director because I don't want to do a documentary that feels like your run of the mill, oh, my God, another LGBT, another transgender another… I just did not want to be in that boat at all - no matter what the story was. I didn't want to do it. Even if I did a documentary about horses, I wouldn't have been a normal documentary. I would have found a way to be creative and do that. But I definitely want to talk about something that had a purpose in which these stories are very important and extremely urgent. But how do I draw people in without them being turned off by the word “transgender”, or, you know, “LGBT”, so that was the fun part, too. That's creative. You know, that's creativity. It's trying to find that balance. And so that was it. It was fun for me to figure that out.
Toni Lee:
I’d just like to pick up on what you said about creating something that doesn't turn people off - the word “transgender”. You said you're interested in getting people from outside the LGBTQ community to be interested in the stories and the film, and also something you describe as a “red carpet narrative” which seemed prominent at the time you were making the film. In terms of transgender content. Could you explain a little about this and why you wanted to appeal outside instead of say, just looking internally for your community?
D Smith:
It's kind of like a church, right? Like growing up, we always had fundraisers. I don't even know what we were raising money for, but it was always reaching out to the world outside. I grew up in a very small church, and it was just four walls and always the same people, always the same approach to spreading the word of God. This is so boring. There were so many creative ways that we could have approached bringing people in. We just want people to not be afraid, or not be measured on how they speak to us with all the rules, all the protective orders, and all of the fortresses that are built around us as Queer people which which we want to be safe, but a lot of times the wording and the messaging could really drive people away. Personally, I miss a lot of things as a Black person. A lot of trans people or Queer people can say, you know, screw them, you know, fuck them. I don't care, but I do. I missed a lot of things, and I feel excluded from those because of who I am. So I wanted to find a way to bridge that to the outside world. So a lot of those components, a lot of the wording and a lot of things in editing. I really wanted to be careful not to censor the girls - to find a good balance.
Toni Lee:
One of my favorite scenes is when Daniela (Carter) is in the bath, really relaxed, wearing a bonnet and speaking really candidly about agency and survival, work and resources. It's just really amazing the way she links her particular experience as a Black trans woman and as a sex worker with a wider experience of Blackness and of patriarchy and of male violence - and that sense of freedom. Could you delve a little bit more into the literal process? How do you draw out those sincere moments with the cast members?
D Smith:
I am a great listener. If it's something of value, and I feel like it could lead to a resolution, I'm going to listen, I will listen, I don't care if it's two hours, I will listen and my approach was to just take as much time as I can, or that they needed to say what they wanted to say. But as a director, sometimes, honestly, I had to cut them off and kind of redirect them because they would get maybe too deep. No one villainized Black people or Black men in this film, but all of these girls had a chip on their shoulders from bad experiences. Who could blame them? Right? So, sometimes I would have to snap them out of how they're saying things, but continue to say it. Daniella on the other hand is a genius. I was in complete awe of how she explained things but I quickly learned her power and how to direct that power to the right space, because you can, no matter how smart or brilliant you are, if it's pointed in the wrong direction, it could backfire or it could just never be found. Finding the things that I thought she was really passionate about, but also that will strike a nerve in the mainstream Black community. And I don't mean that in the game kind of way, just in a way that they will respond to rather than watching the film or talking amongst ourselves as Black people, whatever that is. I had to find those things that really meant something to her, but direct it to the people that we need to speak with and yeah, so a lot a lot of times I did have to kind of let the girls talk but also remind them what we want. And sometimes I kept it raw because I really wanted the film to feel raw but overall, there was a message that we want to see Kokomo City.
Toni Lee:
There's a really great sense of balance between Daniella, Dominique (Silver), Lyhah (Mitchell) and Koko Da Doll. They all have distinct storytelling approaches and experiences, and it works so well together. But, your other tertiary characters like Lo. He's a really funny storyteller, and he's also quite honest. How did you actually choose to bring the cast together and where did you find them all?
D Smith:
It's very important for me as a filmmaker - or the leader of a project - to find someone with star quality. You want to find someone with that je ne sais quoi and sometimes it doesn't look like a supermodel. Sometimes it doesn't look like a politician. Some stars come in different shapes, sizes, colours and backgrounds - and I know personally, when people have that special thing. It's just a matter of them feeling as comfortable as you want them to, so I found it was very important that I connected with them and their story and what they wanted to say. It's okay if you have some past trauma, but also want it to be controlled enough that you could speak your mind where it's not just outrageous and no one could listen to it. So I need it to be about temperament, you know, vocal quality vocal tone or that something in their eyes, like Lyhah has in hers. It is transfixing. There's something very innocent and vulnerable about her eyes. And I'm drawn to that and Dominic's voice - there’s so much. I wanted to have a variety of uses and textures and emotions and energy in the film. So I kind of like to base it around what I have and what I don't have.
Toni Lee:
Now something I'm just quite curious about, is the actual title so where is Kokomo City? Is it a place? What is that song? Where does it come from?
D Smith:
Kokomo City is a state of mind. I feel like this is like the new LGBT. I feel like the state of mind of Kokomo City really represents who we are as Queer people. Or even where I wish it will go where we could talk freely more human-like, you know, two people? So when I was looking for copyright free music from the 1930’s. I wanted something Black and bluesy, like Leadbelly or Muddy Waters or these old Blues rock artists. I was doing some due diligence on songs and I found this song from 1937 called Sissy Man Blues by a black man in the 30s when Black men and people were still getting hung and lynched and murdered. One of the lines in the song said: “Lord, if you can't bring me a woman, please bring me some sissy man”. This guy was like the Usher of that time - he was cool. His name was Kokomo Arnold. I wanted to name the film something that wasn't predictable, or a cliche like ‘Transaction’, or a play on anything that felt LGBT or Queer. I wanted something that felt fresh. So a guy that was singing about something sexual like that, back in the day, how perfect! I didn't know about this guy. So it was really cool to just stumble on that it was just divine. I had to take his name.
Toni Lee:
I wanted to make space to honor Koko Da Doll who, since filming, was killed due to gun violence. That's something that comes out in the film as well - that despite the humor, the beauty, the honesty, there's this element of survival work and vulnerability and threat that comes with being a sex worker, and being a trans woman. I'd just love to know if there’s any ongoing impact or solidarity that you'd want to see from the film industry and audiences after viewing your film and learning about the cast, and with trans women more generally?
D Smith:
I mean, number one, Koko was an incredible spirit, an incredible person, a gift. And I'm just very happy that I was able to meet her and record her and talk with her every other day. I'm looking through our messages, and it's just so consistently humble and sweet and genuine. And it was very important. One of the most important things in the film was having her because it really showed how respectful and genuine and beautiful trans people could be. And trans people are so humble and it’s just a very unique personality, very calm, very funny - I don't even know if she knew how funny she was. She was just really country Southern, but very gifted in the sense that people were just drawn to her personality. So I think seeing more of those people, seeing trans people or Queer people in a space of just complete comfort, contentment and happiness. I want more of that and I think this is a great start. It's very important that the mainstream audience sees that.
KOKOMO CITY is out on general release on 4 August
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