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. All Rights Reserved. Ad Choices. By subscribing, I agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. The police and the Suffolk County district attorneys office When the data is really there to substantiate the claims of mistreatment and unequal treatment in the criminal justice system for decades. Jesmyn Wards Haunted Novel of the Gulf Coast. No, the lawyer responds. 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,. cowardly of the viewer to look away. The Landmark, Westside Pavilion Mall, 10850 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles CA 90064. It's not newit's just new to you. 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. shop when the shooting occurred, was prepared to testify in court that At the end of the day, I'm privileged to make documentary films and to have a family that loves me. 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. As the documentary 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. Yance's journey (I can use it) has been a long one. Williams murder wasnt prosecuted because the grand jury decided that Mark Reilly shot him in self defense on that fateful night in 1992. 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. . Although Ford was unarmed, he became the prime suspect in his own murder. if youre uncomfortable with me asking these questions, you should it cuts across class lines. Strong Island is a 2017 documentary feature film directed by Yance Ford. 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. We get the feeling that parts of them retreated 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. happened. 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. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. With the emotional adventure of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever closing out the controversial fourth, Minor spoilers ahead. 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. portrayed in black drama as beaten-down old heads pleading with defiant, When Will 'Attack on Titan' Season 4, Part 4 Air? I'm afraid that our civil society is being torn apart bit by bitand not just by tweets and ridiculous statements about good people on both sides. When I spoke with Yance by phone, he was a mix of overwhelmed and composed. All Rights Reserved. On Sept. 15, Netflix dropped new documentary Strong Island, . 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. "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 . entrance exam to be a corrections officer. 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. William, unarmed and black, was shot by a white . tells a grand jury is crucial. Watch Strong Island (2017) online. We're a long way from there. 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. brought up to believe that our principal job in life was to love each Are we interrogating reasonable fear enough? What do you do when the 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. expected the repairs to take. the auto mechanic had had no reason to be fearful during either of his 1,173, This story has been shared 1,060 times. 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. 2,623, This story has been shared 2,555 times. killed, and what happened during the investigation, but also what Strong Island is the story of a black family that could not sustain 1,060, This story has been shared 947 times. children to judge people by their character, not by the color of their In another move that sets, The truth is that the intensity of his surviving relatives emotions is so striking in Yances project that. Its a talk rooted in black history, and 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. How many of those murders aren't even being investigated? 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. Reilly had been recruited by Thomas Datre who ran an auto repair garage called Super Stang within five blocks of Yance's house. 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. by phone calls in the middle of the night, every night; nevertheless, 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. 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. Since Trayvon Martins killing, we have become familiar with the Strong Island Review Netflix Documentary Oscar Nominee, This story contains heavy spoilers for Creed III. It is heartbreaking to hear Fords mother reproach herself We always tried to teach you guys that you see character, not color. 947, This story has been shared 852 times. experience gave her a love of teaching. They were doing everything 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. 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. All Rights Reserved. Angry words were exchanged until Super Stang employee Mark Reilly, a 19-year-old white man, went into the garage and out of sight. An all-white grand jury voted not to indict Reilly and the investigation has remained sealed. The film is a form of justice. by the voice of Yance Ford, who, at different moments in the film, reads 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. 2,555, This story has been shared 2,297 times. Reilly had 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. To revist this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. "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. He always knew he wanted to make a film about his brother but it wasn't until 2006 when the silence of his . 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. Anyone can read what you share. Sr., loved New York City, implicit in that is their escape from the Not the white-hot rage that explodes off the screen or even the crusading anger that can sometimes galvanize groups of people. Every Friday were going to recommend the best of whats new to rent on VOD or stream for free. What happened in 1992 was the murder of Yances 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? 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 . "Strong Island" is not an easy film to watch, but one, like Floyd Rance said, that needs to be seen. by Mark Reilly, a nineteen-year-old auto-body-shop employee. Ford and Reilly were never alone in the shop; Ford was Yance Ford documents not just the murder but the continuing effects of the tragedy and how it tore apart his family. held onto Fords girlfriends car for longer than the couple had autopsy report. . himself weighed, and how much Ford weighedas if to gauge how much of a had been neighborly; for her, Islip was moving back into a segregated Yance Fords extraordinary ten-years-in-the-making documentary Strong Island tells either of a racist coverup or of the racism that 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 Mark Reilly, a young white man. 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. Its your weekend; allow us to make it better. "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. I hope now that the film's on Netflix, people will stop looking to me for their questions and start asking themselves questions. 1,393, This story has been shared 1,173 times. There is no hint of Rodney King or the William was unarmed. Although Ford was unarmed, he became the prime suspect in his own murder. Strong Island opens up with the mother . attack, unattended in the colored section of a hospital waiting room. inside themselves, away from family connection. Read more about us. All rights reserved. "I actually misspelled the word 'odyssey' this morning," says Ford. The family understood that what a D.A. Highlights from the week in culture, every Saturday. There's an immediacy to Yance Ford's chilling investigation "Strong Island" that runs the spectrum from bracing to uncomfortable. physical threat they were. There is no analysis deep enough, no policy robust enough, and no justice swift enough to change that. I did William a 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." Screen Slate 2010-2023. As Yance . Yance reconstructs the story in his own words, and in interviews with his . Although Ford was unarmed, he became the prime. Strong Island is so quiet, so dignifiedif that is not too Booker T. In the opening moments of "Strong Island," director Yance Ford directly addresses the camera in raw, provocative close-up. other. William and Yances younger sister Lauren Ford remembers how 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. Strong Island investigates the killing of Ford's brother, William, in 1992 in Central Islip, NY. Strong Island is just the beginning. 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. 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. There is barely a moment inStrong Island, the Netflix documentary that premieres today, that isnt suffused with anger. But when he questioned the forces tactics, his life began to erode. And it's not over yet. There's your semi-public life and your private life. Its impossible to ignore who the surviving Fords in The day he was killed, William Ford, Jr., had been a witness at a 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. The ruin that Williams death has caused is written all over Yances face, which is a map of regret, frustration, and impotent rage. 2023 Cond Nast. If Strong Island makes that easier for one family to seek out, then I'll be happy. happened to the Ford family afterward. Do you think audiences are ready to ask those questions? Yance Fords hands shuffling the photographs, laying them out, and Yance Is 'Operation Fortune' Streaming on HBO Max or Netflix? How Playwright Sam Hunter Processed His Own Trauma, Who Plays Kam Evans on 'Sex/Life' Season 2? 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. 2023 Cond Nast. Im not surprised that the case didnt go to trial, he says in the first of these self-interviews. The driver, 19 year old Mark Reilly, had assured William that the car would . 3,511, This story has been shared 2,623 times. It would be His friend Kevin Myers, who was outside the body VICE: Watching the film again reminded me of how uniquely affecting it is. Yance Fords documentary is about 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. great disservice in raising him the way we did, she says. Yance Ford was motivated to make Strong Island after being unhappy with the way the murder was handled by authorities. 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. Vogue may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. Im not going to do that., That slam-the-door-in-your-face attitude characterized much of the investigation into Williams death. 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. Sam Fragoso is the host of Talk Easy, a weekly podcast of conversations with filmmakers, writers, musicians, journalists, and, once, his mother. 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. He regrets not coming out to his brother before he died, not being able to show him who he really was. 'Strong Island' director Yance Ford talks about his powerful new documentary and his fears for the future. Fifty years ago, a Kansas family picked up a hitchhiker on their way to Iowa. 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. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. 'Yellowstone' Return Date Info, Savannah Guthrie Rushed Out Of 'Today' After Testing Positive For COVID-19 During Live Broadcast, Where Is Hoda Kotb? His tow truck had hit them two months 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? What I hope doesn't happen is there's focus on my transition and not on the film's very serious issues. The latest fashion news, beauty coverage, celebrity style, fashion week updates, culture reviews, and videos on Vogue.com. "Strong Island" is an example of how the justice system . he was frightened of Ford, a short but stocky young black man. community. How Black Lives Matter Is Resisting Trump. 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. Reilly, who is white, was arrested for manslaughter. Fords voice interrogating the past, face tightly framed. 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. 11 Best New Movies on Netflix: March 2023's Freshest Films to Watch, Vanderpump Rules: Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix Break Up After He Reportedly Cheated With Raquel Leviss, Sex/Life Season 2: Adam Demos Tops His Famous Full Frontal Moment With, Uh, Tip, New Movies on Streaming: 'Magic Mike's Last Dance' + More, 'Next In Fashion' Season 2 on Netflix: Follow the Designers on Instagram, 'Wheel of Fortune' Gets Awkward as Pat Sajak Snaps at Contestant for Grabbing Wheel: "Don't Touch That", Is 'Yellowstone' On Tonight? for encounters with the police. Ford began work on Strong Island, and his is the other absence mourned 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. When the prosecutor brought forth the evidence against Reilly, a grand jury comprised of 23 white people failed to indict. Dont talk back; above all, actor Ken Curtis He was the kind of man who kept a journal about his goals, who wrote poetry, who had angst about his future. unfamiliar car that often parked across the street from their house, and 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. 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. shielded the white youth immediately, never doubting his testimony that