Though he left St. Louis soon after high school to pursue a career in film, television and stage, award-winning filmmaker Damien D. Smith remained connected to his hometown, mainly through his grandmother Sarah M. Barnes.
“I thought, ‘I have a skill set, and I am going to use it to help my people. This is a story that needs to be told,” Damien D. Smith said.
She would mail him clippings of the latest news and current events from St. Louis newspapers and follow up with a phone call. In-depth, they discussed whatever she felt compelled to meticulously save, clip, and send to his current home base in Los Angeles. One of their routine of clips and conversations ended up setting him and his 4910 Rosalie Productions on the path to creating his first feature-length documentary, “Target St. Louis Vol. 1.”
“I called her, and we talked about it, and I was so mind blown that I instantly wanted as many people to know about what was happening as I possibly could,” Smith said.
The topic was the covert chemical testing in the Pruitt-Igoe Homes and neighboring communities following World War II, during the Cold War era.
“I thought, ‘I have a skill set, and I am going to use it to help my people. This is a story that needs to be told,’” Smith said. “I felt that for me to be able to do that was to put it in a documentary film.”
Fresh on the heels of a “Best Documentary Feature” win at the Urban World Film Festival last month in New York City, Smith is bringing “Target St. Louis Vol. 1,” to the place where it all began.
“I don’t get to be home as much as far as presenting my craft,” Smith said. “So to not only be home but to have something focused on home is just amazing.”
The film will screen at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 5th , as part of the Whitaker 30th Annual St. Louis International Film Festival Programming.
“It is told through the eyes of survivors,” Smith said. “Some were children at the time of these tests, and they are just now telling their story through this film. This happened to one of the most vulnerable populations in St. Louis – a predominantly African American community.”
Much like the initial conversation with his grandmother, Smith was also blown away by the willingness and enthusiasm of his subjects. They were intentional and purposeful they were to make sure that the next generation hears their story, and within their experiences was the sheer horror of the residual effects on the people made to be unwitting guinea pigs, he said.
“These tests were conducted on this group of people without any regard for their safety or health or how it would impact them in the future,” Smith said. “There was no follow-up. These are my family members. This is my grandmother, my aunts, my extended family. They grew up in this area as well.”
Smith hopes that those who see “Target St. Louis Vol. 1” will be inspired to use their talents and skills as a method to shed light on injustices – past and present – within their respective communities.
“Prayerfully, something within the film will enact some type of mobilization,” Smith said. “The same thing that happened to me when I talked with my grandmother about what happened.”
Working to create “Target St. Louis Vol. 1” and its many versions before the award-winning final product taught Smith about himself as a filmmaker, an artist, and an activist. Certain aspects of civic and social engagement have spawned from him taking that leap. Presenting the film at SLIFF is a dream come true that Smith admits hasn’t completely sunken in.
“I’ll have these moments where I’m just out, maybe riding my bike, and I’ll be like, ‘yo’, I’m going home to present a documentary I did about home and for home.’ And I’ll just get this feeling of euphoria,” he said.
Smith refers to “Target St. Louis Vol. 1” as a love letter to St. Louis, but he acknowledges the experience was more like a mutually beneficial exchange of affection.
“I ended up learning so many amazing lessons throughout the whole process of making this film,” Smith said. “And I was reminded that St. Louis is still looking out for me.”
“Target St. Louis Vol 1” will screen at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 5th at Washington University’s Brown Hall Auditorium (located on Centennial Greenway) as part of the Whitaker 30th Annual St. Louis International Film Festival.
The festival takes place from Nov. 4-21 at various locations. For a full schedule of films, venues, and COVID-19 health protocols, visit www.cinemastlouis.org.
