poster for the film in Fruitvale Station,
but a BART spokeswoman said about this decision: "there was no debate whether to allow Fruitvale Station [advertisements] on BART.
None whatsoever. We really support Ryan. He's just an amazing person. I think that Ryan had said it was his intention to show his love for Oakland
and the people of Oakland, and he really succeeded." Promotional material used on the film's Facebook page and website referred
to the controversial shooting of Trayvon Martin in Florida, which was in the news at the same time as the film's release. This drew some criticism,
with publicist Angie Meyer stating, "It's absolutely inappropriate and morally wrong to use a high profile case to create publicity
and buzz around a movie release." As part of its film promotion, the WeinsteinCo. set up the "I am __" campaign to encourage people
to share stories of overcoming acts of social injustice or mistreatment, and to upload photos or other artworks related to those experiences.
Release
Fruitvale Station premiered on January 19, 2013 during the 2013 Sundance Film Festival
where it was listed as Fruitvale before undergoing a title change. After premiering at Sundance, the film was
at the center of a distribution bidding war. Rights for the film were ultimately acquired by The Weinstein Company for approximately US$2 million.
In May 2013, Fruitvale Station appeared in the Un Certain Regard, an award section recognizing unique and innovative films,
at the 66th Cannes Film Festival and won the award for Best First Film. The Oakland premiere was held as a private screening
at Grand Lake Theater on June