'Kokomo City' gives a searing look into lives of Black trans sex workers

Director D. Smith couldn't be happier about her new documentary, "Kokomo City," being compared to 1990's "Paris Is Burning."

"I think it's a tremendous comparison because 'Paris Is Burning' was so groundbreaking when it happened," she recently told CNN. "I will never forget the first time I saw it, so for people to compare such a film to what I've done with my first film, I'm just blown away by that."

"Paris Is Burning" gave the world a glimpse into the ballroom culture in New York City, shining a spotlight on the LGBTQ+ community of the mid-to-late 1980s there.

Smith's film does the same for Black transgender sex workers in New York City and Atlanta today.

The film is raw and unflinching, featuring discussions that range from the danger the women often face to the men who are secretly attracted to and patronizing them. It's already won two awards at the Sundance Film Festival and made headlines, unfortunately in part due to a tragedy.

One of the women who appears in the film, Koko Da Doll, was reportedly shot to death in Atlanta in April. Smith said it's been "very tough" losing her even though the pair didn't know each other prior to filming.

"When I met Koko she cried within 30 seconds to a minute of us talking," Smith said. "She put on this whole thing of trying to be so tough and having it together, but she was the sweetest, biggest teddy bear in the whole film and her vulnerability, I was just drawn to it."