Featuring the genre-busting talent of James Nasty and TT the Artist, The Real Wi-Fi Of Baltimore offers a punny and nuanced view of Baltimore neighborhoods in a short film edited from iPhone screenshots of Wi-Fi network names.

Interview with Director, Producer, Writer Julia Kim Smith

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

I am a multidisciplinary artist. Film is one my favorite media. It’s relatively cheap and easy (at least the way I do it) and allows me to connect to a wider audience. For The Real Wi-Fi Of Baltimore, I was intrigued by our fascination with cell phone screens and wondered if a compelling short film could be made from screenshots – if I could take the small screen and put it on the big screen.

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

It’s short, funny, and, I hope, revealing and will make people think about larger political and social issues.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

The Real Wi-Fi was inspired in part by the Freddie Gray uprising in Baltimore, my hometown. I think the effects of institutional racism seen in Baltimore, like the formation of city neighborhoods based on old segregation laws, are seen in other cities in the US and the world. Jess Row, the author, summed it up in a line from his novel Your Face in Mine: “Baltimore is the world. The world is Baltimore.”

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development and production?

The original rough cut of The Real Wi-Fi was edited from actual iPhone screenshots from my phone and had stock audio. Based on the rough cut, I was awarded a Rubys Artist Project Grant from the Great Baltimore Cultural Alliance. Thanks to the funding, I was able to remaster the screenshots for projection on the big screen and bring James Nasty (Baltimore-based DJ and club producer) and TT the Artist (singer, rapper, and producer) on board to produce the original soundtrack for the film.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

We’ll see. The film’s world premiere will be at Slamdance and it will screen at other festivals and venues TBA.

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

A wider audience.

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

Distributors and journalists. Good ones. I’m choosy.

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

I hope it will entertain and spark discussion.

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?

Are you connected?

What projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?

I don’t like to talk about my work-in-progress, but James Nasty will release an album tentatively titled Escapism later this year and is working as executive producer for the artist Hunter Hooligan’s album titled Child of Venus. TT the Artist was recently at the top of Spotify’s United States Viral 50 with her “F Trump” single with DJ Mighty Mark and has a debut album Queen of the Beat out.

Interview: January 2017

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We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series and music video. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela

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The Real Wi-Fi Of Baltimore

Length: 3:00

Director, Producer, Writer: Julia Kim Smith

About the writer, director and producer: Julia Kim Smith is a multidisciplinary artist whose work has screened at Slamdance Film Festival, Center for Asian American Media CAAMFest, DUMBO Arts Festival, and Brooklyn Film Festival.

Key cast: James Nasty (producer and composer, “Are U Connected?”) and TT the Artist (vocals, “Are U Connected?”)

Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists): Distributors and journalists

Funders: Rubys Artist Project Grant from the Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance

Where can I watch it? Slamdance Film Festival and other festivals TBA

http://showcase.slamdance.com/Bogalusa-Charm-The-Real-Wi-Fi-of-Baltimore

Film website: http://juliakimsmith.com/projects/the-real-wifi-of-baltimore