In October 2018, it was announced Fionn Whitehead, Leyna Bloom and McCaul Lombardi had joined the cast of the film, with Danielle Lessovitz directing from a screenplay she wrote.

[2] The film's title Port Authority refers to the Port Authority Bus Terminal, the arrival point of Paul in the film as he seeks a better life in New York;[3] Bloom said that this reflected her own journey from the Midwest to the station in the city at seventeen.

[4] As well as being a black trans actress from the Midwest, Bloom is also a real-life drag ball house mother.

The site's critical consensus reads, "Although Port Authority frustrates with its inaccurate portrayal of the culture it attempts to represent, it remains an absorbing and well-acted drama.

"[11] On Metacritic, the film holds a rating of 61 out of 100, based on 13 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".