However, they found it difficult to make the film in the City due to the lack of a film scene within the region and neither of them had any proper film training nor knew anybody within the industry. Talbot got some initial advice on how to start from a cold email to Barry Jenkins, who shot "Medicine for Melancholy" (2008) in San Francisco, before he left to shoot "Moonlight" (2016). In May 2015, the two shot a preview trailer to raise funds for the making of the film and launched a successful Kickstarter campaign that ultimately surpassed their goal of $50,000 by more than $25,000. Within a month, 1,500 contributors backed the campaign totaling a little over $75,000. The campaign garnered film industry interest as well as national press, and through viral success cemented Fails, who was the face of the #lastblackman fundraising campaign, as a local San Francisco figure. When Fails and Talbot's short film, "American Paradise", made it to 2017 Sundance Film Festival, they met Christina Oh of Plan B Entertainment, who later made introductions for Talbot and producer, Khaliah Neal, to the rest of the company at a shooting for "Ad Astra" (2019). Jeremy Kleiner, of Plan B, helped pick up the film for production. Principal photography began in April 2018. In May 2018, it was officially announced that Jonathan Majors, Danny Glover, Tichina Arnold, Rob Morgan, Mike Epps, Finn Wittrock and Thora Birch had joined the cast of the film, with Khaliah Neal producing the film alongside Plan B Entertainment and A24 distributing. The creative team had wanted to cast someone from San Francisco in the role Kofi, the childhood friend who struggles to be vulnerable with his peers. They met Jamal Trulove at an after-school program in San Francisco while casting for child extras. Trulove was previously falsely charged with murdering his friend in 2007. He was granted a retrial in 2015 and was subsequently acquitted. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors later approved a $13.1 million settlement to him for being framed of murder by the police. Given his background and personal resonance for the role, Trulove was cast on the spot that day. Constant demolitions and alterations of San Francisco sites complicated the film production. The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 26, 2019. It released in the United States on June 7, 2019, having previously been scheduled to be released on June 14.