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"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 . Vogue may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. He always knew he wanted to make a film about his brother but it wasn't until 2006 when the silence of his . On April 7, 1992, in Central Islip, a Long Island suburb of New York City, William Ford, Jr., a twenty-four-year-old man, was shot and killed by Mark Reilly, a nineteen-year-old. 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. Fords voice interrogating the past, face tightly framed. There's a tenor and a tone that's creeping into a permanence, and I'm really hopeful that it doesn't. At the end of the day, I'm privileged to make documentary films and to have a family that loves me. Dunmore Ford Detectives seemed only interested in asking the friend how much he My sister is my best friend. passing on of necessary survival techniques. 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. 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. physical threat they were. "Strong Island" is not an easy film to watch, but one, like Floyd Rance said, that needs to be seen. testimony of black parents concerning the talk they must have with their http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Film/StrongIsland. I'm worried. 758, This story has been shared 673 times. Ford was unarmed. That's the thing that's going to be tough for people. 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. autopsy report. 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. 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. VICE: Watching the film again reminded me of how uniquely affecting it is. Ford, a imposingly large former high school football player who had previously come to Reillys auto body shop and allegedly thrown a vacuum cleaner in frustration, was not alive to defend himself. When I spoke with Yance by phone, he was a mix of overwhelmed and composed. after 9/11, to protect his new country. killed, and what happened during the investigation, but also what real-estate developers in Central Islip were looking for black We watch him search for words, struggle to express what he really means; we watch emotions roil across his open face. Its impossible to ignore who the surviving Fords in 2023 Deadline Hollywood, LLC. Dunmore Ford We want to hear from you! Includes a post-film conversation with Director/Producer Yance Ford, and a reception in The Wine Bar at The Landmark. The day he was killed, William Ford, Jr., had been a witness at a in his own murder. own brother, a black teacher, William Ford, Jr., who grew up in the As Yance Dunmore Ford died during the making of the documentary, an I'm fearful that our courts are being undermined by a president who doesn't understand the constitutional separation of powers. 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. experience gave her a love of teaching. to indict Reilly for manslaughter, accepting the district attorneys The film is a form of justice. To revist this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. When I spoke with Yance by phone, he. Yance Ford, Williams younger brother, paints a portrait of not only a grave injustice but of a family broken. Strong Island are: Barbara Dunmore Ford, Lauren Ford, and Yance Ford skin. Mark Reilly, a young white man. 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. By signing up you agree to our User Agreement and Privacy Policy & Cookie Statement. Early on in the film, Yance Ford says, I am motorman, working the William was unarmed. All families have their own stories; the Fords' story is one of bloodshed. other. William and Yances younger sister Lauren Ford remembers how Ford was unarmed, Reilly brandished a rifle, and the teenagerwho had an extensive criminal recordtook one shot at Ford, piercing him in the heart. Screen Slate 2010-2023. Screen Slate is a guide to moving image culture. "I actually misspelled the word 'odyssey' this morning," says Ford. 'Yellowstone' Return Date Info, Savannah Guthrie Rushed Out Of 'Today' After Testing Positive For COVID-19 During Live Broadcast, Where Is Hoda Kotb? All rights reserved. In Yance Fords powerful, disturbing, and very personal documentary, I did not feel that we were received as parents of a victim, reports Barbara. 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. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. A white assistant district attorney in Brooklyn had When Creed first premiered in 2015, the world had no idea how big it would become; after all, it was just, Rocky Balboas iconic ascent up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art out of breath and in gray joggers as Eye of the Tiger blares in the, Spoilers ahead. Instead, it was William, dying on the ground, and Kevin who were regarded skeptically by law enforcement. There was also a butch lesbian in Toronto who thanked me afterwards for showing a black family loving their masculine-presenting child, helping to undo this notion that African Americans or people of African descent are the most homophobic people in the galaxy. It creaks under the weight of the anguish it bears. Would she go through some of the questions that have been plaguing me for the past 22 years? asks Yance. What I hope doesn't happen is there's focus on my transition and not on the film's very serious issues. in this film. attack, unattended in the colored section of a hospital waiting room. Photo: Courtesy of Netflix. That includes himself. Were Strong Island a strict procedural, that exclusion would be more glaring. The easiest way to deal with 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. STRONG ISLAND, 2017. . 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. had a good time, while the parents labored to keep them in Catholic brought up to believe that our principal job in life was to love each When Dunmore Ford recalls how much she and her husband, William Ford, theyd left behind in black history. In April 1992, black 24-year-old teacher William Ford Jr. was gunned down by Mark Reilly, a white 19 year-old mechanic. Experience 10 years Vice President of Policy & Government Relations Jan 2017 - Present6 years 2 months Boston, MA I lead a team of policy advocates to design and execute strategies at the federal,. focuses on the emotional consequences of this incident for Ford and his family (the victim was Fords brother) and how this deeply personal story intersects with Americas historic apathy to the destruction of black lives. What happened on that drive became part of literary history. 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. trying to establish what happened the night that William Ford, Jr., was Barbara Dunmore Ford remembers that Since Trayvon Martins killing, we have become familiar with the 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. Here are home movies, sixteenth-birthday parties or been shot during a holdup at an A.T.M., and it was William Ford, In the opening moments of "Strong Island," director Yance Ford directly addresses the camera in raw, provocative close-up. Review: Strong Island Explores a Killing and Its Aftermath, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/14/movies/strong-island-review.html, Barbara Dunmore Ford, the mother of William Ford Jr., in an old family photo, as seen in the documentary Strong Island.. 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. the blow of racial injustice and fell apart. government employees who could afford to be homeowners. His tow truck had hit them two months In Strong Island, Bringing a Murdered Brother Back to Life By Julia Felsenthal September 15, 2017 In 1992, an unarmed 24-year-old Long Island man named William Ford, Jr., was shot and. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. a shady business. picked up and brandished a car door, to some laughter in the shop. There is barely a moment inStrong Island, the Netflix documentary that premieres today, that isnt suffused with anger. the auto mechanic had had no reason to be fearful during either of his held onto Fords girlfriends car for longer than the couple had grade, in South Carolina, to go to work stripping tobacco. suffered a stroke the year after his sons killing. 'Mandalorian' Funko Pops up to 77% Off Baby Yoda and More for Season 3, Who Plays the Armorer in 'The Mandalorian'? I decide this is not right, that I must give voice to this story.. Its your weekend; allow us to make it better. happened to the Ford family afterward. Im not going to do that., That slam-the-door-in-your-face attitude characterized much of the investigation into Williams death. A summary of the case gives no It would be an insult to Is 'Operation Fortune' Streaming on HBO Max or Netflix? 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. sense of the experience of watching Strong Island, in which the visual himself weighed, and how much Ford weighedas if to gauge how much of a The people in my life, who have been with me in my darkest timesmy partner of 21 years, my siblingshave always seen me for who I am, even if I didn't have the language for my gender identity. 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. When I say, "How do you measure the distance of reasonable fear?," it's a real question. although the property taxes were high. As the documentary Strong Island reveals itself to be a portrait of a disinterested justice system, and the machinations that go into shielding white youth from punishment. 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. Sr., loved New York City, implicit in that is their escape from the William Jr., the Ford's eldest child, a black 24 year-old teacher, was killed by Mark Reilly, a white 19 year-old mechanic. 'The Mandalorian' Season 3 Episode Guide: How Many Episodes of 'Mandalorian' Will There Be on Disney+? We always tried to teach you guys that you see character, not color. inside the courtroom they expected justice. Fords mother, Barbara Yance Fords grandmother had been forced to leave school in the fourth City, William Ford, Jr., a twenty-four-year-old man, was shot and killed 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. Would you like to receive invitations to our screenings? 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 . for encounters with the police. Washington a thing to say. Long Island, in 1992, and William's killer, Mark Reilly, a white man, did not face charges. before, and a deal was struck whereby the auto shop would fix the damage It's going to change over timeit's going to be different things on different daysbut these families are going to need support. of his family he gave up school and became an M.T.A. Reilly had . And I hated that moment. Have we accepted fear as a rationale for homicide when it's actually supposed to be reasonable fear? inside themselves, away from family connection. He also regrets the phone call they shared shortly before his death where William describes an earlier confrontation with Reilly at the garage, which culminated with a thrown Corvette door. . 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. Film Reviews. What We Know About Her Continued 'Today Show' Absence, 'Jeopardy!' The film's completion and release (now on Netflix) has dovetailed with his own gender transformation. All the essentials: top fashion stories, editors picks, and celebrity style. Sam Fragoso is the host of Talk Easy, a weekly podcast of conversations with filmmakers, writers, musicians, journalists, and, once, his mother. 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. Mr. Ford had gone there after a dispute. 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The film will launch globally on Netflix and in limited theatrical release in the fall. How Playwright Sam Hunter Processed His Own Trauma, Who Plays Kam Evans on 'Sex/Life' Season 2? black people is to ignore them; the easiest way to cope with pain is not by the voice of Yance Ford, who, at different moments in the film, reads Her son had 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. My mother, frankly, always saw me for who I was. call this an irony. Respectful attention must be paid, because grief is in the room. 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. Netflix just dropped another true crime documentary. 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. Will There Be A 'Sex/Life' Season 3 on Netflix? 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. This is about that: who William was, a reclamation of his identity and character. . Im not surprised that the case didnt go to trial, he says in the first of these self-interviews. It's something that people need to be aware of as something that's never going to go away. right, and then were destroyed by all the things that they thought check on the car. William Ford Jr. was shot and killed on April 7, 1992, an incident at the center of the documentary Strong Island. Something deep inside his family also died that night, and Yance Ford, one of Williams siblings and the films director, explores that loss, exposing a grief that is profound and agonizing. He wanted to get his family out of the city, and become frustrated as a customer, forgetting all about inherited white 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. How many of those murders aren't even being investigated? gangsta rap of that time, 1992, the year of William Ford, Jr.,s death. return a true bill because her son was a black man. The portrayed in black drama as beaten-down old heads pleading with defiant, Signup for Breaking News Alerts & Newsletters. Although Ford was unarmed, he became the prime suspect in his own murder. "I was like, 'What's a synonym for journey, goddamn it? 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. "Strong Island" screens at the Performing Arts Center on Saturday, August 12, at 3:30. My father just believed in my Strong Island is just the beginning. Netflix describes Fords film as a deeply intimate and meditative film. Im also not willing to accept that someone else gets to say who William was.. 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. UsefulNotes/Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. Jr., who had chased and tackled the gunman. 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. details are important. I wonder why silence is the sound of our subsumed rage, our accumulated grief, Ward asks. Strong Island Review Netflix Documentary Oscar Nominee, This story contains heavy spoilers for Creed III. It would be Strong Island tells either of a racist coverup or of the racism that unfamiliar car that often parked across the street from their house, and expected the repairs to take. Although Ford was unarmed, he became the prime suspect in his own murder. Yance reconstructs the story in his own words, and in interviews with his . Because I felt that they were going to say, here is another black woman who didnt do her job with her child, and now she wants us to make somebody pay., The filmmaker and his mother both find opportunities to blame themselves for Williams loss (The madness that is my brothers death would drive me mad if I werent able to hold myself accountable for at least a small part of it, Yance explains). Are we interrogating reasonable fear enough? I just wanted to know all the reasons exactly why. Then: Im not angry. William Ford, a 24-year-old African American who taught mathematics, was killed on April 7, 1992 in Central Islip. What have been the most intriguing responses you've heard from audiences? There's your semi-public life and your private life. By subscribing, I agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. In 2017, what are you fearful of? resentment of black anger. I'm not gonna use that word again!'". Utilizing a creative mixture of traditional and non-traditional documentary approaches, Ford also investigates what really happened the night his brother died, a question that is foregrounded as significant for personal reasons yet ultimately not the entire point. A grand jury declined to indict Mr. Reilly, a decision that staggered Mr. Fords loved ones. 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. He was shot dead by Mark Reilly, a young white mechanic. She wonders how she could have been so wrong. 1,173, This story has been shared 1,060 times. tells a grand jury is crucial. "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. 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. 'Strong Island' director Yance Ford talks about his powerful new documentary and his fears for the future. Reilly, who is white, was arrested for manslaughter. These Celebrities, Where Are They Now: 15 Of Your Favorite Celebs From 15 Years Ago. 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. unwilling to accept that someone else gets to say who Williams was. 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. Tom Sizemore Dies: 'Saving Private Ryan' & 'Black Hawk Down' Star Was 61; Reactions + Career In Photos, A24 Buys Historic Off Broadway Cherry Lane Theatre For $10M, Ke Huy Quan Lost Health Insurance After Filming Everything Everywhere All At Once, Jay Weston Dies: Lady Sings The Blues Producer Who Gave Al Pacino Broadway Break Was 93. 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. Fifty years ago, a Kansas family picked up a hitchhiker on their way to Iowa.