theyd left behind in black history. Strong Island is an American 2017 true-crime documentary film directed by Yance Ford . Williams murder wasnt prosecuted because the grand jury decided that Mark Reilly shot him in self defense on that fateful night in 1992. We've Heard This Story Before: Yance Ford on "Strong Island" Do you feel any fear within your own personal transformation? Dont talk back; above all, The family understood that what a D.A. Send us a tip using our annonymous form. Fans Fuming Over Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings' Hosting Schedules: "I Want Ken Full-Time". Strong Island, a documentary chronicling the 1992 murder of first-time filmmaker Yance Ford's brother, William Ford Jr., and the effect it had on him and his family, incorporates the dynamics of a police-like procedural and gut-wrenching, upfront, self- confession. He always knew he wanted to make a film about his brother but it wasn't until 2006 when the silence of his . All families have their own stories; the Fords' story is one of bloodshed. Strong Island is just the beginning. Watch Strong Island (2017) online. Mark Reilly, a young white man. Netflix's Strong Island: A Family Searches for Answers - PEOPLE.com But when he questioned the forces tactics, his life began to erode. Angry words were exchanged until Super Stang employee Mark Reilly, a 19-year-old white man, went into the garage and out of sight. physical threat they were. The tragedy left the Fords in some deep way unable to As the title of the film indicates, the events of the film take place on Long Island, New York, where in April of 1992, William Ford Jr., a black 24 year-old teacher, was killed by Mark Reilly, a . The effect is intense and elegiac, even as the pace veers toward the overly deliberate, and as Mr. Reilly and some essential witnesses arent interviewed or approached by the filmmaker; no explanation for this omission is given. There's an immediacy to Yance Ford's chilling investigation "Strong Island" that runs the spectrum from bracing to uncomfortable. high-profile trial. two confrontations with Ford, even though Dunmore Ford herself had been A white assistant district attorney in Brooklyn had Yance Ford: I was at Sundanceit was maybe our second screeningand someone in the audience during the Q&A said she'd been in the Bronx ADA's office for 18 years, and that in her opinion, something very wrong happened with this case. But its actually a far more personal, probing project, less a relitigation than a reckoning, less a procedural than a film about the Sisyphean task of processing terrible grief. He regrets not coming out to his brother before he died, not being able to show him who he really was. If you need social assistance, they're going to drug test you and make you work x amount of hours a week, and it doesn't matter if you don't have childcare. Sing, Unburied, Sing is shadowed by the long aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. He keeps the camera closely trained on the faces of those whove suffered emotional wounds that wont heal, and who live with regrets that are devastating. Detectives seemed only interested in asking the friend how much he When do you think the punishing stops? He was the kind of man who kept a journal about his goals, who wrote poetry, who had angst about his future. Perhaps she "Strong Island" tells the story of the murder of 24-year-old Ford, a black teacher killed by a white 19-year-old mechanic named Mark Reilly in Long Island in 1992. Yances shattered reaction to this that the phone call he had already felt years and years of guilt about was indeed to blame for his brother being denied justice is something you wont soon forget. It is heartbreaking to hear Fords mother reproach herself You're going to be punished for wanting to serve as a transgender [person], for wanting to have equal treatment if you're queer, if you want equal pay if you're a woman. Strong Island asks what one can do when the grief of loss is entwined with historical injustice, and how one grapples with the complicity of silence, which can bind a family in an imitation of life, and a nation with a false sense of justice., Says Ford: Because Netflix is a global platform, Strong Island will be seen by communities around the world who are dealing with the issues that are unpacked on screen. in his own murder. Yance Ford has directed a movie about the death of his brother that distills this kind of frustration into something heartbreaking, but thats what makes it a vital and powerful film. 793, This story has been shared 758 times. "Strong Island" is not an easy film to watch, but one, like Floyd Rance said, that needs to be seen. Triangle of Sadness Ending Explained: Does Abigail Kill Yaya? Will There Be A 'Sex/Life' Season 3 on Netflix? He lives in Los Angeles. Respectful attention must be paid, because grief is in the room. Reilly shot Ford through the heart with a rifle but an all-white grand jury, after a less-than-enthusiastic investigation, declined to issue an indictment, and the case died. It would be an insult to Cinematographers & Cameras: Insights Into "The Crown," "Strong Island This instead is a tightly-coiled, deeply frustrated anger borne of grief and having nowhere to go with that grief for 25 years. The Backstory of Netflix's Strong Island Documentary - Peoplemag The shops owner had a record of running We get the feeling that parts of them retreated His murderer was escorted from the crime scene without handcuffs and never prosecuted. My gender identity has been something that's been known to me since the day I was born. Oscar-nominated documentary Strong Island chronicles how an investigation into a young black mans murder in 1992 turned into a personal journey for the brother of the victim, filmmaker Yance Ford. William Ford, a black man, was shot and killed at the age of 24 by a 19-year-old mechanic named Mark Reilly, at the auto shop where Ford's girlfriend's car was being repaired. A Yanceville Films and Louverture Films production, Strong Island was produced by Ford and Joslyn Barnes and was co-produced by Signe Byrge Srensen for Final Cut for Real. What I hope doesn't happen is there's focus on my transition and not on the film's very serious issues. Ford again went to the auto shop and was killed. The Terrifying Car Crash That Inspired a Masterpiece. shop when the shooting occurred, was prepared to testify in court that Review - Strong Island | Ready Steady Cut 2023 Deadline Hollywood, LLC. In the same way, its not just the story of a mans death, but also a study of the aftermath. Yance Fords hands shuffling the photographs, laying them out, and Yance Available on: Netflix. Meet Cleo Anthony, Netflix's 'Money Shot' Documentary Trailer Shines A Harsh Light On Pornhub, The "Most Trafficked Website In The World", 'The Skinny Shot' on Hulu Is An Ozempic "Documentary" That Plays More Like A Commercial, Where Is Estonia Located? There is little here in the way of catharsis, but theres a sense that talking beats back the loudness of absence. Review: 'Strong Island' Explores a Killing and Its Aftermath Weekend Watch is here for you. Strong Island (2017) - Strong Island (2017) - User Reviews - IMDb Synopsis [ edit] The film centers on the April 1992 murder of Ford's brother William, a 24-year-old African-American teacher in New York, who was killed by Mark P. Reilly, a 19-year-old white chop shop mechanic. determined which questions the white investigators asked in William From the time William was shot and the limo pulled up, the story got made, Kevin remembers, referring to a car that came to squire away Reilly, whom police never put in handcuffs. Documentary about LI killing up for Oscar - Long Island Business News Film Reviews. 'The Mandalorian' Season 3 Episode Guide: How Many Episodes of 'Mandalorian' Will There Be on Disney+? I'm worried. testimony of black parents concerning the talk they must have with their She was implying that the way that the grand jury process and investigation had been handled was problematic. details are important. William Jr. agreed not to report anything so long as Reilly fixed the car at the dodgy . The film will launch globally on Netflix and in limited theatrical release in the fall. 1,173, This story has been shared 1,060 times. Reilly claimed self-defense. To Tell the Story That Tells the Trial: Ulises de la Orden on El juicio. unwilling to accept that someone else gets to say who Williams was. It would be Documentary chronicling how an investigation into a young black man's murder in 1992 turned into a personal journey for the brother of the victim. Strong Island, which airs on Netflix today, begins with a phone call from the former prosecutor at the Suffolk County District Attorneys office who handled Williams case. Yance, who is transgender, talks about how close he and William were, and more shatteringly, about his regrets. Strong Island is so quiet, so dignifiedif that is not too Booker T. Fifty years ago, a Kansas family picked up a hitchhiker on their way to Iowa. "I was like, 'What's a synonym for journey, goddamn it? By signing up, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy & to receive electronic communications from Vice Media Group, which may include marketing promotions, advertisements and sponsored content. "Strong Island": A family's navigation between loss and injustice - Salon Mr. Ford had gone there after a dispute over a repair and confronted Mr. Reilly about an insult that was said to have been made earlier to Mr. Fords mother. inside the courtroom they expected justice. before, and a deal was struck whereby the auto shop would fix the damage In April 1992 on Long Island, New York, 24-year-old black teacher William Ford Jr. was killed by Mark Reilly, a white 19-year-old mechanic. All Rights Reserved. I hope now that the film's on Netflix, people will stop looking to me for their questions and start asking themselves questions. great disservice in raising him the way we did, she says. Though questions of race and justice are raised, Yance Ford more often examines how he and the rest of his middle-class family dealt, or refused to deal, with the tragedy. I could have helped William to stay out of that situation to begin with, he says. experience gave her a love of teaching. 'Strong Island' director did not want to make 'your typical true - KPCC There is no hint of Rodney King or the Those are And if we're going to focus on me as a transgender African American, then we need to extrapolate from the violence that's perpetrated against trans women of color especially: How many of those murders have gone unsolved? Ford, Jr.,s killing. UsefulNotes/Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. Would you like to receive invitations to our screenings? Do you think audiences are ready to ask those questions? Strong Island (Film) - TV Tropes Although Ford was unarmed, he became the prime suspect in his own murder. What We Know, The 8 Best Soundbars To Buy In 2023, Per Experts. "Strong Island" tells the story of William Ford Jr., a 24-year-old African-American who was shot by Mark Reilly, a white car mechanic, during a dispute over repairs. This story has been shared 3,511 times. It draws a line around your life, she says. In April 1992, on Long Island NY, William Ford Jr., a black 24 year-old teacher, was killed by Mark Reilly, a white 19 year-old mechanic. In Yance Fords powerful, disturbing, and very personal documentary, "I actually misspelled the word 'odyssey' this morning," says Ford. His tow truck had hit them two months . Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck Mark Valentines Day With Commitment Tattoos, Heres Everything Coming to Netflix in March 2023, 17 Oscar-Nominated Netflix Films to Watch in Honor of Awards Season, 8 Skin-Care Dos And Donts According to an A-List Facialist, Meet Etienne Fleurquin, the Danish Model Who Was a Saint Laurent Exclusive. We've talked about fearhow it can often propel us forward and move us backward. portrayed in black drama as beaten-down old heads pleading with defiant, His question was interesting, because it was an example of how some people conflate the two incidents in the film into one. How a White Kid Escaped Punishment After Killing a Black Man - Vice probably get up and go. Racism is character assassination. entrance exam to be a corrections officer. dont run. Reilly, who is white, was arrested for manslaughter. for encounters with the police. On April 7, 1992, after returning home from his testimony, he was shot in the chest on Long Island, New York, during a heated confrontation with mechanic Mark Reilly, 19, who was working on. 'Strong Island' Will Make You Furious, Which You Should Be When I spoke with Yance by phone, he. gangsta rap of that time, 1992, the year of William Ford, Jr.,s death. Highlights from the week in culture, every Saturday. He was shot in the chest with a rifle by Get our latest storiesin the feed of your favorite networks. How many of those murders aren't even being investigated? Every Friday were going to recommend the best of whats new to rent on VOD or stream for free. The Landmark, Westside Pavilion Mall, 10850 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles CA 90064. had been neighborly; for her, Islip was moving back into a segregated Filmmaker Yance Ford Explores Injustice With His Moving - Essence had a good time, while the parents labored to keep them in Catholic Hopefully, after Strong Island, I'll go on to make another film, and another after that. Is 'Operation Fortune' Streaming on HBO Max or Netflix? Washington a thing to say. Anyone can read what you share. We always tried to teach you guys that you see character, not color. Since Trayvon Martins killing, we have become familiar with the The body weighs 240 pounds, is 5 feet 8 inches in height, and appears compatible with a reported age of 24 years. Yance aims to reanimate that corpse. 2023 Cond Nast. Netflix just dropped another true crime documentary. attack, unattended in the colored section of a hospital waiting room. When Will 'Attack on Titan' Season 4, Part 4 Air? TVTropes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. 'Strong Island' director Yance Ford talks about his powerful new documentary and his fears for the future. skin. are gripping in everything they say. become frustrated as a customer, forgetting all about inherited white In one of these close-ups, towards the beginning of the film, Ford draws a clear line for his audience: If youre uncomfortable with me asking these questions, you should probably get up and go. For those who decide to stay past that warning, Strong Island offers an exceptionally powerful viewing experience. real-estate developers in Central Islip were looking for black community. 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Although Ford was unarmed, he . grade, in South Carolina, to go to work stripping tobacco. Early on in the film, Yance Ford says, I am It was like all the sound had left the world., It calls to mind a line in Men We Reaped, Jesmyn Wards memoir of the violent, premature deaths of five young black men she knew and loved. 2023 Cond Nast. he was frightened of Ford, a short but stocky young black man. "Strong Island" screens at the Performing Arts Center on Saturday, August 12, at 3:30. With the emotional adventure of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever closing out the controversial fourth, Minor spoilers ahead. I'm not gonna use that word again!'". For ten years Ford was privileged to work as Series Producer for the PBS showcase POV and where his curatorial work helped garner more than 16 Emmy nominations. makes plain, the grand jury didnt care to find out what really STRONG ISLAND, 2017. . Strong Island (film) - Wikipedia What have been the most intriguing responses you've heard from audiences? 2,623, This story has been shared 2,555 times. Vogue may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. Strong Island | The New Yorker 2,555, This story has been shared 2,297 times. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Ad Choices, Actor Graham McTavish Planned a Scottish Castle Wedding for His Bride Garance Dor, 70 Incredible Forgotten Photos From Vintage Oscar Nights, Phil Ohs Best Street Style Photos From the Fall 2023 Shows in Paris. And I hated that moment. Ford was unarmed, Reilly brandished a rifle, and the teenagerwho had an extensive criminal recordtook one shot at Ford, piercing him in the heart. Netflix Nabs Yance Ford's 'Strong Island'; Sundance - Deadline We then see Yance get decades-old information from a police officer after literally years of trying in vain to get any information about the investigation out of the authorities who says that the earlier altercation was indeed a big part of the reason why the grand jury thought Reilly was acting in self-defense. Yance Ford, who is transgender, is a recipient of the Creative Capital Award, a MacDowell Colony Fellowship, a Sundance Documentary Film Program Fellowship, and was among Filmmaker Magazines 25 New Faces of Independent Film in 2011. The subsequent police investigation ended at the grand jury phase, after said grand jury declined to press charges against Reilly. "Mark Reilly already said everything he had to say to me when he shot and killed my brother." Ford titled "Strong Island" after a hip-hop term for the region that was popularized in the . As the documentary Would she go through some of the questions that have been plaguing me for the past 22 years? asks Yance. In 2017, what are you fearful of? 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The easiest way to deal with http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Film/StrongIsland. Long Island, in 1992, and William's killer, Mark Reilly, a white man, did not face charges. K. F. Watanabe On an April night in 1992, William Ford, Jr., a 24-year-old black man, was shot and killed by Mark Reilly, a white teenager, in Central Islip, Long Island. The entire feature is a personal journey for the filmmaker, who has had to endure years of pain because of their brother's death, which has received no justice at all despite the seemingly obvious murder. A 22-year-old black man, William Ford, was shot and killed by a 19-year-old white man, a mechanic named Mark Reilly, after a verbal altercation. More than twenty years later, the investigating officer on the case Netflix/Strong Island The Fords had moved to Long Island from. His autopsy report read: The body is that of a well-developed obese black male. . Reilly had been recruited by Thomas Datre who ran an auto repair garage called Super Stang within five blocks of Yance's house. I enjoyed my brother the hero, and a month or so later, that hero was dead. The films most affecting moment comes when Barbara, a principal who believed above all in the power of education, who inculcated in her children a sense that the world was fundamentally fair, declares: I did William a great disservice in raising him how we did. Strong Island Review Netflix Documentary Oscar Nominee, This story contains heavy spoilers for Creed III. On Sept. 15, Netflix dropped new documentary Strong Island, . Ad Choices. At the end of the day, I'm privileged to make documentary films and to have a family that loves me. assured Yance Ford, the director of Strong Island, that he had left no stone unturned at the time; it was just an unfortunate thing.. Were Strong Island a strict procedural, that exclusion would be more glaring. By signing up, you agree to our User Agreement and Privacy Policy & Cookie Statement. disrespected by the mechanic when she and Fords girlfriend came by to In college, struggling with his sexuality and gender identity (he is trans), the younger Ford saw it as a bonding moment, and so he kept the call a secret from his parents. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. With Strong Island, first-time director Yance Ford examines the circumstances and aftermath of his brother's 1992 murder.When 24-year-old William Ford, Jr. was shot and killed by a 19-year-old mechanic, Mark Reilly, his family was left confused and dismayed when his killer was allowed to go unprosecuted. He was killed right outside of his home, and his mother has to look at the spot where her son died every time she sits on her front porch. As Yance The award was a testament to Yance Fords decision to turn a camera on his family and her, and to tell his brothers story despite its frustrating dead ends. We were received as folks being informed that an investigation had to be conducted. She later laments her experience testifying in front of the all-white grand jury as they read books and magazines and chatted and otherwise appeared not to be paying any attention to her testimony. Yance's journey (I can use it) has been a long one. Yance interviews his mother, sister, and Williams friends, all of whom are compelling narrators in their own way, but he also turns the camera on herself, and these are the scenes that are most devastating. actor Ken Curtis Strong Island, a documentary chronicling the 1992 murder of first-time filmmaker Yance Ford's brother, William Ford Jr., and the effect it had on him and his family, incorporates the dynamics of a police-like procedural and gut-wrenching, upfront, self- confession. Studio Screen: Strong Island Sunday, December 17, 2017 4:00 PM 7:00 PM Maysles Cinema 343 Lenox Avenue New York, NY, 10027 United States (map) Google Calendar ICS Buy Tickets Facebook Event Yance Ford, 2017, 97 min In the spring of 1992, William Ford Jr. was murdered by a young white mechanic named Mark Reilly. Strong Island questions whether justice can be found, through the intimate story of the filmmaker's brother who was lost to gun violence, and the family's painful search for answers. call this an irony. I don't want to say that I'm not optimistic, but I don't think that optimism is in my toolbox of feelings, honestly. In an appropriation of true crime style, details and testimonies are shuffled around to increase curiosity and unveil late revelations, some of which are devastating. Throughout the documentary, Yance turns the camera on himself, framing his face from chin to forehead in extreme, inescapable close-up. Strong Island tells either of a racist coverup or of the racism that Mark Reilly, a 19-year-old mechanic at Super Stang Auto Body, didn't deny that. William, an unarmed, black 24-year-old teacher, was slain by Mark Reilly, a 19-year-old white man who was working at an auto body shop on Long Island. Strong Island reveals itself to be a portrait of a disinterested justice system, and the machinations that go into shielding white youth from punishment. other. William and Yances younger sister Lauren Ford remembers how Read more about us. happened. Mr. Ford had gone there after a dispute. For audiences that experience this and are finally being believed because of social media, cellphone cameras, body cameras, empirical studies from people like the Marshall Project, books like The New Jim Crow it's like, "OK, finally, now we believe you." The police and the Suffolk County district attorneys office Im not going to do that., That slam-the-door-in-your-face attitude characterized much of the investigation into Williams death.
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