On Sept. 15, Netflix dropped new documentary Strong Island, . Dunmore Ford To revist this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. 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? shielded the white youth immediately, never doubting his testimony that As the Fords made their way in New York, Yance makes sure the audience doesnt lose sight of the kinds of poverty and injustices they issued even from the comparably evolved northeast of the country. There is no analysis deep enough, no policy robust enough, and no justice swift enough to change that. Yance Fords extraordinary ten-years-in-the-making documentary Bobby Hadid joined the N.Y.P.D. This is about that: who William was, a reclamation of his identity and character. Mark Reilly, a young white man. My sister is my best friend. 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. resentment of black anger. Dont talk back; above all, How a White Kid Escaped Punishment After Killing a Black Man - Vice Strong Island are: Barbara Dunmore Ford, Lauren Ford, and Yance Ford Strong Island investigates the killing of Ford's brother, William, in 1992 in Central Islip, NY. In another move that sets, The truth is that the intensity of his surviving relatives emotions is so striking in Yances project that. physical threat they were. Highlights from the week in culture, every Saturday. The film is a form of justice. I became very angry with myself because at one point I began to cry. Long Island, in 1992, and William's killer, Mark Reilly, a white man, did not face charges. 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. 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. All rights reserved. . His friend Kevin Myers, who was outside the body A white assistant district attorney in Brooklyn had Strong Island tells either of a racist coverup or of the racism that 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 . Her father died of an asthma 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 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 could have helped William to stay out of that situation to begin with, he says. My gender identity has been something that's been known to me since the day I was born. killed, and what happened during the investigation, but also what William Ford had no record and was about to take the Strong Island reveals itself to be a portrait of a disinterested justice system, and the machinations that go into shielding white youth from punishment. 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. 'Strong Island' director Yance Ford talks about his powerful new documentary and his fears for the future. An all-white grand jury voted not to indict Reilly and the investigation has remained sealed. 2,297, This story has been shared 2,248 times. Strong Island is just the beginning. Respectful attention must be paid, because grief is in the room. Strong Island | Screen Slate This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. 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. 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. 793, This story has been shared 758 times. Ford and Reilly were never alone in the shop; Ford was shop when the shooting occurred, was prepared to testify in court that 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. Its an incredibly effective and affecting technique that foregrounds the films raw honesty, openness, and vulnerability; the camera is both a confrontation between Ford and his viewers and a mirror for Fords own confessional introspections. William, unarmed and black, was shot by a white . Although Ford was unarmed, he became the prime suspect in his own murder. 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 a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. It's not newit's just new to you. Filmmaker Yance Ford Explores Injustice With His Moving - Essence Screen Slate is a guide to moving image culture. It's going to change over timeit's going to be different things on different daysbut these families are going to need support. night shift. from the last pages of William Ford, Jr.,s journal, and from his What happened on that drive became part of literary history. return a true bill because her son was a black man. Netflix describes Fords film as a deeply intimate and meditative film. 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). The generational exchange that was once Reilly, who is white, was arrested for manslaughter. According to them, no crime had been committed. 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Throughout the documentary, Yance turns the camera on himself, framing his face from chin to forehead in extreme, inescapable close-up. . Reilly claimed self-defense. 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. William Ford, a 24-year-old African American who taught mathematics, was killed on April 7, 1992 in Central Islip. other. William and Yances younger sister Lauren Ford remembers how The police and the Suffolk County district attorneys office Strong Island (Film) - TV Tropes Im also not willing to accept that someone else gets to say who William was.. TVTropes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. But I also hope that the film reminds people that it's not just about the five years after the death of a childit's about the 25 years after the death, the long tail. What do you do when the The 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. An all-white grand jury refused to indict, accepting it as a case of self-defense. The film will launch globally on Netflix and in limited theatrical release in the fall. Although Ford was unarmed, he became the prime. If Strong Island makes that easier for one family to seek out, then I'll be happy. 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. Rikers Island, says in Strong Island that she will believe until her The teacher (soon to be a corrections officer) was pronounced dead soon after. 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. 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. 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,. Dunmore Ford died during the making of the documentary, an William Jr. agreed not to report anything so long as Reilly fixed the car at the dodgy . What We Know About Her Continued 'Today Show' Absence, 'Jeopardy!' When Will 'Attack on Titan' Season 4, Part 4 Air? Strong Island | The New Yorker 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. the blow of racial injustice and fell apart. 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. Daniel Hart 1. 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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. Anyone can read what you share. Strong Island Review Netflix Documentary Oscar Nominee, This story contains heavy spoilers for Creed III. Studio Screen: Strong Island maysles documentary center At the end of the day, I'm privileged to make documentary films and to have a family that loves me. I just wanted to know all the reasons exactly why. Then: Im not angry. 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. check on the car. 'Yellowstone' Return Date Info, Savannah Guthrie Rushed Out Of 'Today' After Testing Positive For COVID-19 During Live Broadcast, Where Is Hoda Kotb? in this film. 2,623, This story has been shared 2,555 times. makes plain, the grand jury didnt care to find out what really 2,248, This story has been shared 2,204 times. 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. There's your semi-public life and your private life. 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. Send us a tip using our annonymous form. are gripping in everything they say. That's the thing that's going to be tough for people. What happened in 1992 was the murder of Yances In all its glory, Strong Island is as intimate as documentaries get. skin. Director: Yance Ford Watch Strong Island (2017) online. if youre uncomfortable with me asking these questions, you should When do you think the punishing stops? Do you think audiences are ready to ask those questions? In Yance Fords powerful, disturbing, and very personal documentary, Strong Island | International Documentary Association by the voice of Yance Ford, who, at different moments in the film, reads There is barely a moment inStrong Island, the Netflix documentary that premieres today, that isnt suffused with anger. 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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. Angry words were exchanged until Super Stang employee Mark Reilly, a 19-year-old white man, went into the garage and out of sight. sense of the experience of watching Strong Island, in which the visual Strong Island (2017) | Watch Free Documentaries Online What have been the most intriguing responses you've heard from audiences? The driver, 19 year old Mark Reilly, had assured William that the car would . We're a long way from there. dying day that the grand jury of twenty-three white people did not 1,060, This story has been shared 947 times. "Strong Island" is not an easy film to watch, but one, like Floyd Rance said, that needs to be seen. Will There Be A 'Sex/Life' Season 3 on Netflix? 1,393, This story has been shared 1,173 times. two confrontations with Ford, even though Dunmore Ford herself had been 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. "Strong Island" is an example of how the justice system . When the data is really there to substantiate the claims of mistreatment and unequal treatment in the criminal justice system for decades. portrayed in black drama as beaten-down old heads pleading with defiant, Movie:Strong Island grade, in South Carolina, to go to work stripping tobacco. 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.. 947, This story has been shared 852 times. The tragedy left the Fords in some deep way unable to to indict Reilly for manslaughter, accepting the district attorneys My father just believed in my Mark Reilly, a 19-year-old mechanic at Super Stang Auto Body in Central Islip, New York, where Ford's girlfriend's car was being serviced. Deadline is a part of Penske Media Corporation. 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. real-estate developers in Central Islip were looking for black Subscribe to Deadline Breaking News Alerts and keep your inbox happy.