RaMell Ross and Joslyn Barnes (who also produced 2018's Oscar-nominated documentary Strong Island) created this documentary to tell the story of the hardships and triumphs over the social construction of race in Hale County, AL, focusing on the lives of two young black men over the course of five years. The film (which is Ross's feature debut) already won a Special Jury Award at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival for best documentary feature, and by becoming an Oscar contender for best documentary, the film is also the ninth Academy Award-nominated film for Independent Lens, who produced the film.