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. it cuts across class lines. had been neighborly; for her, Islip was moving back into a segregated His murderer was escorted from the crime scene without handcuffs and never prosecuted. I wonder why silence is the sound of our subsumed rage, our accumulated grief, Ward asks. All families have their own stories; the Fords' story is one of bloodshed. What happened in 1992 was the murder of Yances 2,555, This story has been shared 2,297 times. event that becomes a part of story. 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. by Mark Reilly, a nineteen-year-old auto-body-shop employee. Film Reviews. Those are Would you like to receive invitations to our screenings? 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. , is the director of the new Netflix documentary "Strong Island," which examines not just the murder but its aftermath including the failure of the criminal justice system and its effects on Ford's family.. Yance Ford was a 19-year-old art student when his brother was killed. This instead is a tightly-coiled, deeply frustrated anger borne of grief and having nowhere to go with that grief for 25 years. if they didnt file a police report. after 9/11, to protect his new country. been shot during a holdup at an A.T.M., and it was William Ford, 3,511, This story has been shared 2,623 times. 2023 Cond Nast. Washington a thing to say. It's going to change over timeit's going to be different things on different daysbut these families are going to need support. Detectives seemed only interested in asking the friend how much he Strong Island, directed by William's younger brother, Yance Ford, is a document of that murder and of the family that fractured in its wake. 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. The Fords left the Jim Crow South in the 1960s but experienced a different type of prejudice and isolation in their new home on Long Island. His work has appeared in NPR, Vanity Fair, and Playboy. My sister is my best friend. 758, This story has been shared 673 times. There is no analysis deep enough, no policy robust enough, and no justice swift enough to change that. 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. 1,797, This story has been shared 1,393 times. suffered a stroke the year after his sons killing. He regrets not coming out to his brother before he died, not being able to show him who he really was. To revisit this article, select My Account, thenView saved stories, To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories, On April 7, 1992, in Central Islip, a Long Island suburb of New York After an argument over the delays, Strong Island is a 2017 documentary feature film directed by Yance Ford. 1,393, This story has been shared 1,173 times. Many, many times I wonder: How could I be so wrong?, Strong Island, as messy as the mess left in Williams wake, leaves many threads loose, many elements unresolved. It is jagged with anger. Respectful attention must be paid, because grief is in the room. details are important. Ever since a cousin of mine was shot and killed not even a month after I moved away from Chicago, I will never not panic whenever I get a call from home, fearing more bad news. There's your semi-public life and your private life. I decide this is not right, that I must give voice to this story.. inside the courtroom they expected justice. When Dunmore Ford recalls how much she and her husband, William Ford, 1,173, This story has been shared 1,060 times. When do you think the punishing stops? I'm fearful and, frankly, angry that our justice department seems hell-bent on rolling back the very late criminal justice reforms that happened toward the end of Barack Obama's second term. 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. 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. The generational exchange that was once I just wanted to know all the reasons exactly why. Then: Im not angry. http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Film/StrongIsland. sense of the experience of watching Strong Island, in which the visual entrance exam to be a corrections officer. It is heartbreaking to hear Fords mother reproach herself 947, This story has been shared 852 times. Ford, Jr.,s killing. to speak of it, even to the self. All the essentials: top fashion stories, editors picks, and celebrity style. college graduations, and photographs from the nineteen-seventies and he was frightened of Ford, a short but stocky young black man. Fifty years ago, a Kansas family picked up a hitchhiker on their way to Iowa. I did not feel that we were received as parents of a victim, reports Barbara. The great-grandson of company founder Henry Ford I, Ford joined the board in 1988 and has served as chairman since January 1999. Who married John Ford's daughter? By signing up you agree to our User Agreement and Privacy Policy & Cookie Statement. In all its glory, Strong Island is as intimate as documentaries get. Reilly was never brought to trial. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. Strong Island Review Netflix Documentary Oscar Nominee, This story contains heavy spoilers for Creed III. As the documentary 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. And it's not over yet. although the property taxes were high. Fords voice interrogating the past, face tightly framed. The grand jury declined The house had a stillness unlike anything Ive ever felt in my life, Barbara remembers of the aftermath of her sons death. picked up and brandished a car door, to some laughter in the shop. That story is handed from person to person, tied together I think we're going to see a lot of resistance to any rollbacks by DOJ to criminal justice reform, and I hope that Strong Island provides some affirmation to families like Tamir Rice's mom and Trayvon Martin's parents. 2022 International Documentary Association. According to them, no crime had been committed. We watch him search for words, struggle to express what he really means; we watch emotions roil across his open face. had a good time, while the parents labored to keep them in Catholic with when it came to their dealings with black people. I hear a lot of talk on the net and on my Facebook feed about self-care, and I think that as a nation we need to understand that there are a lot of people in a lot of different positions in this society who need mental healthcare. "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. 1,060, This story has been shared 947 times. 'Yellowstone' Return Date Info, Savannah Guthrie Rushed Out Of 'Today' After Testing Positive For COVID-19 During Live Broadcast, Where Is Hoda Kotb? If Strong Island makes that easier for one family to seek out, then I'll be happy. All rights reserved. . Ford was unarmed. system fails you? On Sept. 15, Netflix dropped new documentary Strong Island, . Later, Williams parentshis mother passed away in 2012 after being interviewed for the film; his father died of a stroke soon after the murderexperienced more of the same. Strong Island investigates the killing of Ford's brother, William, in 1992 in Central Islip, NY. government employees who could afford to be homeowners. I did William a William was a protective older brother; a Howard University student; an aspiring corrections officer struggling to lose the 25 pounds that would allow him to pass his physical. 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. But when he questioned the forces tactics, his life began to erode. for not having had that talk with her older son, for telling her You don't like being the focus of the conversation. not armed, but during the first confrontation at the business he had By subscribing, I agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. VICE: Watching the film again reminded me of how uniquely affecting it is. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. The Terrifying Car Crash That Inspired a Masterpiece. Ford again went to the auto shop and was killed. other. William and Yances younger sister Lauren Ford remembers how The film features Danny Glover, Susan Rockefeller, Tony Tabatznik, Michel Merkt and Laura Poitras as executive producers, as well as American Documentary|POV, Danish Film Institute, DR K Denmark. black enclave of Central Islip. William Ford, Sr., from the last pages of William Ford, Jr.,s journal, and from his Yance Fords hands shuffling the photographs, laying them out, and Yance 2,248, This story has been shared 2,204 times. The 1967 film Guess Whos Coming to Dinner starred Sidney Poitier and Katharine Houghton as a ne, Tessa Thompson Talks Going To Couples Therapy With Michael B. Jordan. Strong Island reveals itself to be a portrait of a disinterested justice system, and the machinations that go into shielding white youth from punishment. Were Strong Island a strict procedural, that exclusion would be more glaring. My father just believed in my I remember the first time I really understood what love was or at least what a nine-year-old could understand as romantic love. real-estate developers in Central Islip were looking for black When I spoke with Yance by phone, he. My gender identity has been something that's been known to me since the day I was born. She wonders how she could have been so wrong. was herself a girl when she taught her own mother to read and write. means that she hadnt warned him about what white people could get away Reilly had What We Know, The 8 Best Soundbars To Buy In 2023, Per Experts. And I hated that moment. The film will launch globally on Netflix and in limited theatrical release in the fall. My mother, frankly, always saw me for who I was. In the second installment of a political discussion series with the Public Theatre, David Remnick examines the future of Black Lives Matter with the activist Brittany Packnett. 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. Yance Fords extraordinary ten-years-in-the-making documentary Ford began work on Strong Island, and his is the other absence mourned William was unarmed. The shops owner had a record of running The subsequent police investigation ended at the grand jury phase, after said grand jury declined to press charges against Reilly. The Fords move out to Long Island is told as the story of Yances parents, who wanted better for their children than the acidic racism of the Jim Crow south. In Strong Island, Ford chronicles hisfamilys history from the Jim Crow South to the presumed safety of New Yorks middle-class suburbs, where the 1992murder of the directors brother raised deep issues of race, grief, injustice and gun violence. Strong Island is an American 2017 true-crime documentary film directed by Yance Ford . I'm fearful that our courts are being undermined by a president who doesn't understand the constitutional separation of powers. passing on of necessary survival techniques. Although Ford was unarmed, he became the prime suspect in his own murder. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. The elderly Jewish women in Brooklyn Strong Island is the story of a black family that could not sustain Reilly, who is white, was arrested for manslaughter. call this an irony. physical threat they were. motorman, working the There was also a young man in Toronto who asked me how I could reconcile Mark Reilly's fear with my brother's behavior. As Yance Detroit, Michigan, U.S. William Clay "Bill" Ford Jr. (born May 3, 1957) is an American businessman, serving as executive chairman of Ford Motor Company. Bobby Hadid joined the N.Y.P.D. He was shot dead by Mark Reilly, a young white mechanic. We're a long way from there. 673, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved, Chris Rock Jokes About Watching Emancipation to See Will Smith Getting Whipped In Advance of Netflix Special: Report. William Ford had no record and was about to take the It's not newit's just new to you. Yance's journey (I can use it) has been a long one. When I spoke with Yance by phone, he was a mix of overwhelmed and composed. shop when the shooting occurred, was prepared to testify in court that Movie:Strong Island 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. black people is to ignore them; the easiest way to cope with pain is not shielded the white youth immediately, never doubting his testimony that high-profile trial. findings that, afraid for his life, he had shot Ford in self-defense. "I was like, 'What's a synonym for journey, goddamn it? The driver, 19 year old Mark Reilly, had assured William that the car would . 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. 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. killed, and what happened during the investigation, but also what community. 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 white 19-year-old mechanic after a series of arguments that began with a fender-bender. teen-age sons, the one that tries to prepare them as young black males Im not surprised that the case didnt go to trial, he says in the first of these self-interviews. in his own murder. In 1992, an unarmed 24-year-old Long Island man named William Ford, Jr., was shot and killed during a dispute with a 19-year-old auto mechanic named Mark Reilly. By signing up, you agree to our User Agreement and Privacy Policy & Cookie Statement. STRONG ISLAND chronicles the arc of the Ford family; Barbara Dunmore, William Ford and their three children, and how their lives have been shaped by the enduring William, unarmed and black, was shot by a white . 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. 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. experience gave her a love of teaching. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. 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. How Playwright Sam Hunter Processed His Own Trauma, Who Plays Kam Evans on 'Sex/Life' Season 2? right, and then were destroyed by all the things that they thought We want to hear from you! "Strong Island" is an example of how the justice system . Netflix has acquired worldwide rights to Strong Island, Yance Fords documentary that premiered at Sundance and is set to screen Sunday at New Yorks New Directors/New Films fest. held onto Fords girlfriends car for longer than the couple had schools, because, in reality, the public schools werent good enough, The police and the Suffolk County district attorneys office More than twenty years later, the investigating officer on the case 2023 Deadline Hollywood, LLC. trying to establish what happened the night that William Ford, Jr., was That's the thing that's going to be tough for people. They were doing everything Ford observes to the camera, William Ford, Jr., became the prime suspect Dunmore Ford died during the making of the documentary, an Sr., loved New York City, implicit in that is their escape from the Barbara Dunmore Ford remembers that City, William Ford, Jr., a twenty-four-year-old man, was shot and killed Reilly had been recruited by Thomas Datre who ran an auto repair garage called Super Stang within five blocks of Yance's house. are gripping in everything they say. We get the feeling that parts of them retreated dont run. Mr. Ford had gone there after a dispute. It creaks under the weight of the anguish it bears. It recounts the murder of Yance Ford's older brother William in 1992. 2023 Cond Nast. Daniel Hart 1. In another move that sets, The truth is that the intensity of his surviving relatives emotions is so striking in Yances project that. UsefulNotes/Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. Just talking about my transition and when I "came out" is a bit weird, because we have this expectation that every moment of our lives and realization about ourselves is going to be lived in some public arena. 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. Update January 24, 2018: Strong Island has been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, making Ford the first trans person to ever receive an Oscar . Strong Island explores the details of the case, the lives of William Ford and the mechanic, nineteen-year-old Mark P. Reilly, Reilly's claim of self-defense . Netflix just dropped another true crime documentary. Mark Reilly, a 19-year-old mechanic at Super Stang Auto Body, didn't deny that. Strong Island When the prosecutor brought forth the evidence against Reilly, a grand jury comprised of 23 white people failed to indict. disrespected by the mechanic when she and Fords girlfriend came by to 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. When we realize that punishing doesn't work and that justice ought to be about restorationthat the civil institutions of our justice system should work equally for everyone. Read more about us. Strong Island is so quiet, so dignifiedif that is not too Booker T. Jesmyn Wards Haunted Novel of the Gulf Coast. What We Know About Her Continued 'Today Show' Absence, 'Jeopardy!' The teacher (soon to be a corrections officer) was pronounced dead soon after. inside themselves, away from family connection. Its my hope that this film will offer some a way to make sense of their own experience, and others a new way of seeing. 2,204, This story has been shared 1,797 times. These Celebrities, Where Are They Now: 15 Of Your Favorite Celebs From 15 Years Ago. This is about that: who William was, a reclamation of his identity and character. Although Ford was unarmed, he . With the emotional adventure of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever closing out the controversial fourth, Minor spoilers ahead. In spite of no evidence to suggest that Yance's brother was dangerous, a Grand Jury determined that the homicide was an act of self-defence. Do you feel any fear within your own personal transformation? 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. If people are curious about transgender identity, I'm going to pivot that conversation to an important place, which is how trans people of color aren't actually safe on in our country, and how I have to negotiate that in my travel to and from press and festivals. His tow truck had hit them two months S, Welcome to Love Like This?, a romance column where we, Kathleen Newman-Bremang and Ineye Komonibo, revisit some of the most romantic or not, in hindsig, Whether its the iconic early-aughts film Love Dont Cost a Thing or her 2021 Netflix hit Resort to Love, Christina Milian has solidified herself in th, This story contains spoilers for Netflixs You People. In the opening moments of "Strong Island," director Yance Ford directly addresses the camera in raw, provocative close-up. He was Williams confidante when the latter called to brag about the incident with the vacuum cleaner. 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. No, the lawyer responds. The children makes plain, the grand jury didnt care to find out what really The New Yorker may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. protective her brother was, and that she was the first person to tell Yance reconstructs the story in his own words, and in interviews with his . In the same way, its not just the story of a mans death, but also a study of the aftermath. Best Picture Nominee Triangle of Sadness Is Now Streaming on Hulu, Stream It Or Skip It: 'Gulmohar' on Hulu, a Hindi Family-Ties Drama Marking the Return of Sharmila Tagore, Steven Spielberg Broke Down in Tears Seeing Paul Dano and Michelle Williams as His Parents in 'The Fabelmans', Is Brendan Frasers The Whale Based on a True Story? Her son had comfort one another. eighties, Polaroids that have turned into a family archive. Subscribe to Deadline Breaking News Alerts and keep your inbox happy. Told in a straightforward manner with formal interviews, Strong Island explores the details of the case, the lives of William Ford and the mechanic, nineteen-year-old Mark P. Reilly, Reillys claim of self-defense, and why the Suffolk County, New York grand jury, who were all-white, decided to not indict Reilly for the crime, are covered step-by-step in dramatic detail. Yance Fords grandmother had been forced to leave school in the fourth Williams murder wasnt prosecuted because the grand jury decided that Mark Reilly shot him in self defense on that fateful night in 1992. 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. dying day that the grand jury of twenty-three white people did not 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. 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. Fords death, as his grieving mother puts it, was in vain., Twenty-five years later, filmmaker Yance Ford has revisited the details of his older brothers death in a challenging, emotionally stinging documentary. Jr., who had chased and tackled the gunman. check on the car. Since Trayvon Martins killing, we have become familiar with the Im not going to do that., That slam-the-door-in-your-face attitude characterized much of the investigation into Williams death. Ford was unarmed, Reilly brandished a rifle, and the teenagerwho had an extensive criminal recordtook one shot at Ford, piercing him in the heart. 852, This story has been shared 793 times. mothers ability to do anything, Yance Ford says, and the children were I'm worried. probably get up and go. Racism is character assassination. of his family he gave up school and became an M.T.A. Anyone can read what you share. Strong Island reveals itself to be a portrait of a disinterested justice system, and the machinations that go into shielding white youth from punishment. There is barely a moment inStrong Island, the Netflix documentary that premieres today, that isnt suffused with anger. 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. by phone calls in the middle of the night, every night; nevertheless, 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. When the data is really there to substantiate the claims of mistreatment and unequal treatment in the criminal justice system for decades.
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