A film about transgender prostitutes in New York won an audience award at the Berlinale

Impression lets you witness the most interesting happenings at the Berlinale 2023 festival.

A few minutes ago, the audience awards in the “Panorama” section of the festival became clear.

Awards go to Apolline Traore’s Sira and D. Smith’s documentary Kokomo City.

Still from Apolline Traore’s Sira (Source: Berlinale.de)

IN “Cheese” by Apolline Traore, the young nomad Sira is about to be given to her groom – the Christian Jean Sidi. Everything is almost settled, her father, a staunch Muslim, has also advocated for this marriage.

On the way, however, the young family is attacked by Islamist terrorists and all the men are brutally murdered. Sira is then kidnapped and raped, left alone in the middle of the desert. Despite everything, Sira is filled with the will to live and hides in a cave for months, planning her next moves.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0uzhwMxdrU

With compelling interviews and encounters, “Kokomo City” presents four trans black prostitutes on the streets of New York and Georgia who speak uncompromisingly about their experiences.

The main characters talk about their lives in a realistic but at the same time cheerful way. This creates deep and passionate conversations about the socio-political reality they find themselves in, as well as sharp analysis and reflection on their belonging and identity.

Dreams and memories, battles fought and crises overcome are discussed openly, without omitting the uncertainty and the violence experienced.

The main characters share their experiences in their relationships with lovers, friends and their families, which are shaped by taboos, fetishization, but also by their own desires and disappointments.

Still from D. Smith’s documentary Kokomo City, where she recorded conversations and interviews with transgender black prostitutes in New York and Georgia (Source: Berlinale.de)

The film focuses on questions of what their belonging and identity is within the black community.

The Audience Award “Panorama” has been awarded since 1999. Since 2011, both the best feature and the best documentary have been awarded. During the Berlinale, all cinemagoers are asked to rate the films in the Panorama section using a voting card. A total of about 22,000 votes were submitted and evaluated this year.

This year, Panorama presented 35 feature films from 30 producing countries, 9 of which were in the Panorama Documentary series.