The Ryan Coogler film “Sinners” has had a landmark year. When the flick first hit theaters in April, it quickly became one of the highest-grossing horror films ever produced.
The movie — which blurs the lines between period drama and vampiric horror — also earned praise for its inventive depiction of Black history and culture.
On July 4, “Sinners” made headlines again when it became the first film ever to offer Black American Sign Language interpretation through a streaming service.
“Accessibility within streaming is not a one-size-fits-all approach,” Naomi Waibel, Warner Bros. Discovery’s senior vice president of global product management, said in a press release.
“Our goal at Max is to make these great stories accessible to all audiences in a way that is authentic to the content and the communities we serve,” Waibel continued.
“‘Sinners’ with Black American Sign Language is an example of how culturally nuanced access can enrich the viewing experience for our audiences.”
Other HBO Max titles on the app that currently offer sign language interpretation include “The Last of Us,” “Barbie,” and “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.”
Streaming options that feature ASL and BASL translations are accompanied by a sign language symbol depicting two hands signing the word “interpreter.”
In a recent Instagram video, deaf social media star Nakia Smith announced that she had been handpicked as the BASL interpreter for “Sinners.”
“I know many of you are thrilled that the Sinners movie is out on HBO Max!” Smith signed.
“Why Black American Sign Language?” she asked. “‘Sinners,’ it happened during Jim Crow — just like BASL started during Jim Crow. So I think that’s really cool.”
The divergence of Black American Sign Language and American Sign Language was largely driven by the segregation of schools in the American South throughout the 19th and 20th centuries.
Although schools were legally desegregated in 1954, the style, structure, and syntax of BASL continued and are still practiced today.
“Black American Sign Language is a dialect of American Sign Language,” Smith told Netflix’s Strong Black Lead in 2021. “It’s still a language.”
Smith went on to explain some of the nuances that differentiate ASL and BASL.
“With BASL, we sign with both hands,” Smith signed to the camera, “and ASL is more like one hand.”
Smith also pointed out that certain signs are signed entirely differently.
“Like in ASL, this is Christmas,” Smith signed, swiveling the letter “C” with her right hand while her left arm was held out parallel to her chest.
“In BASL, this is Christmas,” Smith explained, moving two pointer fingers to the left as they bounced in tandem.
Smith said that she reached an untapped audience when her first BASL video went viral.
“I felt like a lot of people didn’t know about ASL. … They were really curious and wanted to learn more about BASL and history,” Smith recalled. “I told my grandfather that the video went viral, and he said: ‘Really? Keep going!’”
Smith has been heartened to see the interest in BASL spike in recent years.
“My favorite comment I saw was, ‘Can we preserve this language too?’” Smith signed.
Smith’s impact on HBO Max goes beyond her on-screen interpretation for “Sinners.” Right now, on HBO Max, viewers can even choose Smith as a profile icon — a feature that people were excited to point out on TikTok.
One top comment read: “The translator is the main character!”
“She's a bit unknown to most watchers, but some would say she's the hero of the story,” one viewer replied.
“This is HUGE,” another commenter wrote. “Black American Sign Language has never been used in a mainstream setting! This movie is incredible and I'm glad it's even more accessible!”
See Nakia Smith break down of the differences between BASL and ASL:
