How Dallas TikToker Nakia Smith Took the Year's Biggest Film to the Next Level

Upon the theatrical premiere of Sinners in April, the Ryan Coogler film became a record-breaking, worldwide sensation. And now, one Dallas creator is making sure even more viewers have access to the movie.

Sinners — which arrived to streaming on HBO Max earlier this month — tells the story of twin brothers Elijah “Smoke” Moore and Elias “Stack” Moore (both played by Michael B. Jordan), who return to their hometown of Clarksdale, Mississippi after years of working in the Chicago Outfit to open a juke joint for the local Black community. On opening night, the twins and the joint’s guests run into a series of problems in the form of vampires wanting to invade the space.

The movie resonated with Dallas’ Nakia Smith, a Deaf interpreter who has built a presence on TikTok by educating her followers in sign language and teaching them common phrases. Soon after the movie’s premiere, Smith got the opportunity to interpret the film in Black American Sign Language (BASL) — a first in HBO Max’s history.

We recently chatted with Smith via email shortly after the film hit streaming. Smith, who is still buzzing over the game-changing opportunity, believes this is just the first step in creating access for film viewers of all abilities.

Hi Nakia. How are you today?

I’m doing amazing today!

Congratulations on this big partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery to interpret Sinners in BASL. How did this opportunity come about?

Thank you! I believe this opportunity came to me because Sinners is a Black movie and the team at Warner Bros thought it’d be a great idea to have me on the screen to interpret the film. I was in awe when they wanted me to do BASL. I will never forget the moment when I found out. I’ve been talking about BASL for a long time.

Before the release, we saw that you said you manifested this opportunity via social media on Threads. What role does spirituality play in your life?

Honestly, spirituality is a big part of how I move. I believe in speaking things into existence, but I also believe in staying grounded and doing the work. When I posted on Threads, that wasn’t just for attention…it was me aligning my faith with my goals. So when the opportunity with Warner Bros. came, it felt like confirmation, not coincidence. I knew I was ready, and I knew what I asked for.
What parts of this film resonated with you the most?

The emotional weight of isolation and betrayal in Sinners really resonated with me. There’s something powerful about watching characters deal with the feeling of being unheard — that connected with my own experience as a Deaf Black woman. I saw myself in those quiet moments, and that made my role as a BASL interpreter even more personal.

Like American English and African American Vernacular English, there are many nuances to Black American Sign Language vs. American Sign Languages. What do you think are some factors that often go overlooked when taking sign language into consideration?

One thing folks overlook is how deeply identity shows up in the way we sign…our swag, our emotions and even our facial expressions. You can’t separate language from the lived experience. That’s why representation matters. If you’re teaching or showing sign language without acknowledging BASL, you’re erasing a whole community’s voice.

During the pandemic, you went viral on TikTok for your sign language instructional videos. You were even named Best TikTokker here at the Dallas Observer. How have platforms like TikTok impacted your life?

I remember that moment! TikTok gave me a platform to educate, uplift and represent the Black deaf community. It opened doors like Warner Bros., but more importantly…it let me be seen and heard on my terms.

In a blink-and-you-miss-it moment on a recent episode of Abbott Elementary, there is an art project featuring you in the background. What was your reaction when you found out about this?

My first reaction was, “Quinta Brunson knows me?! She saw me?!” I had just talked to my fiancé the day before about my goal to be on [Brunson's] show. So everything I said — I literally spoke it into existence! I still want to be on her show!

What do you think are some big challenges that people with disabilities face when going to the theater?

A lot of theaters treat accessibility like an afterthought. For Deaf folks, that means no interpreters or captions. For others, it’s a lack of ramps or sensory support. We deserve to feel included…not like a burden.

What kind of changes do you think theaters should implement in order to accommodate Deaf and hard-of-hearing people, as well as other people with disabilities?

Start with accessibility from the beginning, not as a backup plan.

You received a lot of love from fans upon the streaming release. Have any messages really stood out to you?

Yeah, some messages really stuck with me, like someone telling me they used my picture as their avatar. That was wild! And I’ve heard from folks who watched Sinners for the first time with me right there on the screen. That kind of love and support means everything.

How do you envision the world moving forward following this release?

I see this release as a wake-up call. It’s proof that when you give space to unheard voices, powerful stories come out. Moving forward, I want the industry and the world…to keep pushing for real inclusion, not just token moments.