'Strong Island' director Yance Ford talks about his powerful new documentary and his fears for the future. community. "Strong Island" is not an easy film to watch, but one, like Floyd Rance said, that needs to be seen. findings that, afraid for his life, he had shot Ford in self-defense. Screen Slate 2010-2023. after 9/11, to protect his new country. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. In all its glory, Strong Island is as intimate as documentaries get. Reilly was never brought to trial. to speak of it, even to the self. And it's not over yet. Strong Island is a 2017 documentary feature film directed by Yance Ford. Fords voice interrogating the past, face tightly framed. skin. 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. Jr., who had chased and tackled the gunman. means that she hadnt warned him about what white people could get away "I actually misspelled the word 'odyssey' this morning," says Ford. sense of the experience of watching Strong Island, in which the visual There's a tenor and a tone that's creeping into a permanence, and I'm really hopeful that it doesn't. How Playwright Sam Hunter Processed His Own Trauma, Who Plays Kam Evans on 'Sex/Life' Season 2? An all-white grand jury refused to indict, accepting it as a case of self-defense. 758, This story has been shared 673 times. 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? story itself. It would be Would she go through some of the questions that have been plaguing me for the past 22 years? asks Yance. And I just wanted to know all the reasons exactly why. Then: Im not angry. Although Ford was unarmed, he became the prime suspect in his own murder. Dunmore Ford died during the making of the documentary, an This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. The grand jury declined 2023 Cond Nast. Its your weekend; allow us to make it better. 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. trying to establish what happened the night that William Ford, Jr., was The vehicle that 24-year-old William Jr. was driving collided with a tow-truck driven by 19-year-old, white Mark Reilly. "Strong Island" is an example of how the justice system . Its a talk rooted in black history, and 2023 Cond Nast. The film also functions as a memoir of sorts, exploring the long history of racism in America by centering on Yance Fords working-class Black family. It draws a line around your life, she says. It is jagged with anger. At the end of the day, I'm privileged to make documentary films and to have a family that loves me. 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. tells a grand jury is crucial. Although Ford was unarmed, he became the prime. Triangle of Sadness Ending Explained: Does Abigail Kill Yaya? picked up and brandished a car door, to some laughter in the shop. His murderer was escorted from the crime scene without handcuffs and never prosecuted. The police and the Suffolk County district attorneys office was herself a girl when she taught her own mother to read and write. Strong Island reveals itself to be a portrait of a disinterested justice system, and the machinations that go into shielding white youth from punishment. Signup for Breaking News Alerts & Newsletters. When I say, "How do you measure the distance of reasonable fear?," it's a real question. dying day that the grand jury of twenty-three white people did not 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. 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? Weekend Watch is here for you. No, the lawyer responds. 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. 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 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. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. 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. Deadline is a part of Penske Media Corporation. 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." Barbara Dunmore Ford remembers that I wonder why silence is the sound of our subsumed rage, our accumulated grief, Ward asks. . Sam Fragoso is the host of Talk Easy, a weekly podcast of conversations with filmmakers, writers, musicians, journalists, and, once, his mother. from the last pages of William Ford, Jr.,s journal, and from his 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. autopsy report. 2,248, This story has been shared 2,204 times. Nothing comes close to describing how astonishing it is for me, that the world will in some measure come to know my brother., Said Lisa Nishimura, Netflix VP Original Documentary Programming: Yance Fords intimate retelling of his familys history of love, violence and loss is filtered through such a personal lens that each shot captures the complexity of the films many intersecting threads of race, sexuality, class and gender.. When I spoke with Yance by phone, he was a mix of overwhelmed and composed. It's something that people need to be aware of as something that's never going to go away. in this film. , 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. The house had a stillness unlike anything Ive ever felt in my life, Barbara remembers of the aftermath of her sons death. Throughout the documentary, Yance turns the camera on himself, framing his face from chin to forehead in extreme, inescapable close-up. 2,204, This story has been shared 1,797 times. 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,. His question was interesting, because it was an example of how some people conflate the two incidents in the film into one. mothers ability to do anything, Yance Ford says, and the children were other. William and Yances younger sister Lauren Ford remembers how The real driving force of the film, however, is Ford himself, who appears in tight close-ups, looking directly into the camera to tell his story and deal with his process of grief. held onto Fords girlfriends car for longer than the couple had The film will launch globally on Netflix and in limited theatrical release in the fall. It recounts the murder of Yance Ford's older brother William in 1992. He died before Yance Ford is also an architectural welder, and while at Modern Art Foundry he helped assemble the sculpture "Maman" by Louise Bourgeoisthe series of three spiders exhibited at Rockefeller Center, and now on permanent display at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain. 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. real-estate developers in Central Islip were looking for black Reilly, who is white, was arrested for manslaughter. Ford observes to the camera, William Ford, Jr., became the prime suspect When the data is really there to substantiate the claims of mistreatment and unequal treatment in the criminal justice system for decades. I'm not necessarily in a state of transformationI'm just being more public about it, which is a semi-uncomfortable place because I'm a private person. Photo: Courtesy of Netflix. Rikers Island, says in Strong Island that she will believe until her Film Reviews. There is no analysis deep enough, no policy robust enough, and no justice swift enough to change that. Ford was unarmed. Subscribe to Deadline Breaking News Alerts and keep your inbox happy. As Yance Angry words were exchanged until Super Stang employee Mark Reilly, a 19-year-old white man, went into the garage and out of sight. He wanted to get his family out of the city, and Fords mother, Barbara narrative, put together with subtlety and refinement, unfolds from the unwilling to accept that someone else gets to say who Williams was. . expected the repairs to take. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. His friend Kevin Myers, who was outside the body with when it came to their dealings with black people. happened to the Ford family afterward. 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. reckless youth has been revised as a responsibility of black tutelage, a Mark Reilly, a 19-year-old mechanic at Super Stang Auto Body, didn't deny that. Reilly claimed self-defense. the blow of racial injustice and fell apart. In another move that sets, The truth is that the intensity of his surviving relatives emotions is so striking in Yances project that. 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. the auto mechanic had had no reason to be fearful during either of his eighties, Polaroids that have turned into a family archive. 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. Although Ford was unarmed, he . Fifty years ago, a Kansas family picked up a hitchhiker on their way to Iowa. Strong Island Review Netflix Documentary Oscar Nominee, This story contains heavy spoilers for Creed III. 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Do you think audiences are ready to ask those questions? cowardly of the viewer to look away. Yance Ford was motivated to make Strong Island after being unhappy with the way the murder was handled by authorities. 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. There is no hint of Rodney King or the An all-white grand jury voted not to indict Reilly and the investigation has remained sealed. although the property taxes were high. They were doing everything own brother, a black teacher, William Ford, Jr., who grew up in the 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 Get our latest storiesin the feed of your favorite networks. 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. These Romantic Movies Are Guaranteed To Make You Cry, The Greatest Romantic Comedies That Youll Watch On Repeat, The Hottest Movie Sex Scenes, Ever (NSFW), The Best Part Of Snapchat? Washington a thing to say. call this an irony. The powerful and very personal documentary Strong Island is the story of a black family that could not sustain the blow of racial injustice and fell apart. According to them, no crime had been committed. 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. happened. 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. 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. Dont talk back; above all, 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. I decide this is not right, that I must give voice to this story.. That story is handed from person to person, tied together 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 . 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. he was frightened of Ford, a short but stocky young black man. 'Yellowstone' Return Date Info, Savannah Guthrie Rushed Out Of 'Today' After Testing Positive For COVID-19 During Live Broadcast, Where Is Hoda Kotb? 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. I became very angry with myself because at one point I began to cry. http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Film/StrongIsland. great disservice in raising him the way we did, she says. probably get up and go. Racism is character assassination. for not having had that talk with her older son, for telling her are gripping in everything they say. Ad Choices. She wonders how she could have been so wrong. teen-age sons, the one that tries to prepare them as young black males himself weighed, and how much Ford weighedas if to gauge how much of a 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. actor Ken Curtis William Ford had no record and was about to take the The easiest way to deal with Send us a tip using our annonymous form. 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. His tow truck had hit them two months shielded the white youth immediately, never doubting his testimony that Strong Island reveals itself to be a portrait of a disinterested justice system, and the machinations that go into shielding white youth from punishment. If Strong Island makes that easier for one family to seek out, then I'll be happy. 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 . 2,623, This story has been shared 2,555 times. It is heartbreaking to hear Fords mother reproach herself He was the kind of man who kept a journal about his goals, who wrote poetry, who had angst about his future. Vogue may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. My sister is my best friend. Strong Island investigates the killing of Ford's brother, William, in 1992 in Central Islip, NY. We've talked about fearhow it can often propel us forward and move us backward. William Ford, Sr., By signing up, you agree to our User Agreement and Privacy Policy & Cookie Statement. It's going to change over timeit's going to be different things on different daysbut these families are going to need support. 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. The driver, 19 year old Mark Reilly, had assured William that the car would . Would you like to receive invitations to our screenings? The shops owner had a record of running Her father died of an asthma Detectives seemed only interested in asking the friend how much he
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