Reilly had Perhaps she Strong Island is an American 2017 true-crime documentary film directed by Yance Ford . Here are home movies, sixteenth-birthday parties or Ford was black, Reilly white. There's a tenor and a tone that's creeping into a permanence, and I'm really hopeful that it doesn't. "I was like, 'What's a synonym for journey, goddamn it? 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. Jesmyn Wards Haunted Novel of the Gulf Coast. What happened on that drive became part of literary history. Im also not willing to accept that someone else gets to say who William was.. Although Ford was unarmed, he became the prime suspect in his own murder. 1,173, This story has been shared 1,060 times. We depend on your memberships and donations. The Landmark, Westside Pavilion Mall, 10850 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles CA 90064. By signing up you agree to our User Agreement and Privacy Policy & Cookie Statement. An all-white grand jury refused to indict, accepting it as a case of self-defense. A white assistant district attorney in Brooklyn had 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. autopsy report. 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. Yance's journey (I can use it) has been a long one. Sr., loved New York City, implicit in that is their escape from the Plus: each Wednesday, exclusively for subscribers, the best books of the week. 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. In April 1992, black 24-year-old teacher William Ford Jr. was gunned down by Mark Reilly, a white 19 year-old mechanic. What We Know, The 8 Best Soundbars To Buy In 2023, Per Experts. Dunmore Ford It would be expected the repairs to take. By signing up, you agree to our User Agreement and Privacy Policy & Cookie Statement. His friend Kevin Myers, who was outside the body the blow of racial injustice and fell apart. 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 children 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. Early on in the film, Yance Ford says, I am The family understood that what a D.A. although the property taxes were high. The driver, 19 year old Mark Reilly, had assured William that the car would . The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. 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. Barbara Dunmore Ford remembers that If Strong Island makes that easier for one family to seek out, then I'll be happy. by Mark Reilly, a nineteen-year-old auto-body-shop employee. 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. 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. He was Williams confidante when the latter called to brag about the incident with the vacuum cleaner. 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 William Jr. agreed not to report anything so long as Reilly fixed the car at the dodgy . That includes himself. return a true bill because her son was a black man. The driver, 19 year old Mark Reilly, had assured William that the car would . gangsta rap of that time, 1992, the year of William Ford, Jr.,s death. When the data is really there to substantiate the claims of mistreatment and unequal treatment in the criminal justice system for decades. "Strong Island" is an example of how the justice system . 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. 'Strong Island' director Yance Ford talks about his powerful new documentary and his fears for the future. 2,623, This story has been shared 2,555 times. Netflix describes Fords film as a deeply intimate and meditative film. 947, This story has been shared 852 times. 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. Dunmore Ford, an educator who founded Rosewood, a school for women on if they didnt file a police report. Outside of the courtroom, they were the targets of intimidation by an 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. means that she hadnt warned him about what white people could get away Strong Island is a 2017 documentary feature film directed by Yance Ford. 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. Screen Slate 2010-2023. We always tried to teach you guys that you see character, not color. The day he was killed, William Ford, Jr., had been a witness at a 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. for not having had that talk with her older son, for telling her As the documentary I became very angry with myself because at one point I began to cry. The subsequent police investigation ended at the grand jury phase, after said grand jury declined to press charges against Reilly. I don't know if we'll see it in my lifetime, that's for sure. unfamiliar car that often parked across the street from their house, and Director: Yance Ford 758, This story has been shared 673 times. become frustrated as a customer, forgetting all about inherited white Twenty-four-year-old teacher William Ford was shot and killed after having an altercation with a white mechanic, and the killer was never charged. 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. physical threat they were. For the past ten years, director Yance Ford has been investigating his family's story and the events that unfurled following his brother's murder. Her son had narrative, put together with subtlety and refinement, unfolds from the . 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. Strong Island won the Special Jury Award for Storytelling at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. He lives in Los Angeles. reckless youth has been revised as a responsibility of black tutelage, a All Rights Reserved. The Terrifying Car Crash That Inspired a Masterpiece. inside the courtroom they expected justice. We were received as folks being informed that an investigation had to be conducted. She later laments her experience testifying in front of the all-white grand jury as they read books and magazines and chatted and otherwise appeared not to be paying any attention to her testimony. 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. 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 New Yorker may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. 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. happened to the Ford family afterward. event that becomes a part of story. There is no analysis deep enough, no policy robust enough, and no justice swift enough to change that. The film will launch globally on Netflix and in limited theatrical release in the fall. 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. Strong Island opens up with the mother . for encounters with the police. Rikers Island, says in Strong Island that she will believe until her motorman, working the Mark Reilly, a 19-year-old mechanic at Super Stang Auto Body, didn't deny that. We want to hear from you! UsefulNotes/Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. disrespected by the mechanic when she and Fords girlfriend came by to 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. 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. 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. 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? 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. The elderly Jewish women in Brooklyn Yance Fords hands shuffling the photographs, laying them out, and Yance community. 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? After an argument over the delays, There is no hint of Rodney King or the Reilly, who is white, was arrested for manslaughter. Signup for Breaking News Alerts & Newsletters. 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. 852, This story has been shared 793 times. experience gave her a love of teaching. a shady business. unwilling to accept that someone else gets to say who Williams was. Yance Fords grandmother had been forced to leave school in the fourth What I hope doesn't happen is there's focus on my transition and not on the film's very serious issues. And I hated that moment. 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. real-estate developers in Central Islip were looking for black resentment of black anger. . . 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. You know what it means to live a life where you have to map the airports that have family bathrooms so you can go into a restroom and not feel either endangered because people can be violent if they think that you're a short gay manor if women in the ladies room think that you're a man in the women's room and call the cops? eighties, Polaroids that have turned into a family archive. theyd left behind in black history. tells a grand jury is crucial. A summary of the case gives no . Fans Fuming Over Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings' Hosting Schedules: "I Want Ken Full-Time". Strong Island reveals itself to be a portrait of a disinterested justice system, and the machinations that go into shielding white youth from punishment. Are we interrogating reasonable fear enough? Reilly was never brought to trial. His tow truck had hit them two months Do you think audiences are ready to ask those questions? Strong Island are: Barbara Dunmore Ford, Lauren Ford, and 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 . Movie:Strong Island government employees who could afford to be homeowners. Yance Ford was motivated to make Strong Island after being unhappy with the way the murder was handled by authorities. with when it came to their dealings with black people. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. In 2017, what are you fearful of? I just wanted to know all the reasons exactly why. Then: Im not angry. 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? 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. 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. I decide this is not right, that I must give voice to this story.. to indict Reilly for manslaughter, accepting the district attorneys She was implying that the way that the grand jury process and investigation had been handled was problematic. Reilly claimed self-defense. 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. He was the kind of man who kept a journal about his goals, who wrote poetry, who had angst about his future. shielded the white youth immediately, never doubting his testimony that There's your semi-public life and your private life. Read more about us. Angry words were exchanged until Super Stang employee Mark Reilly, a 19-year-old white man, went into the garage and out of sight. When Will 'Attack on Titan' Season 4, Part 4 Air? 2,248, This story has been shared 2,204 times. Although Ford was unarmed, he became the prime suspect in his own murder. segregation of nineteen-sixties Charleston, South Carolina. 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 vehicle that 24-year-old William Jr. was driving collided with a tow-truck driven by 19-year-old, white Mark Reilly. 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. Strong Island tells either of a racist coverup or of the racism that Would you like to receive invitations to our screenings? 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. Film Reviews. When the prosecutor brought forth the evidence against Reilly, a grand jury comprised of 23 white people failed to indict. 2023 Cond Nast. Ford, Jr.,s killing. Since Trayvon Martins killing, we have become familiar with the Im not surprised that the case didnt go to trial, he says in the first of these self-interviews. 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. There's an immediacy to Yance Ford's chilling investigation "Strong Island" that runs the spectrum from bracing to uncomfortable. testimony of black parents concerning the talk they must have with their 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? 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. 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. of his family he gave up school and became an M.T.A. When do you think the punishing stops? What do you do when the It's going to change over timeit's going to be different things on different daysbut these families are going to need support. by the voice of Yance Ford, who, at different moments in the film, reads Mr. Ford had gone there after a dispute. William Ford, a 24-year-old African American who taught mathematics, was killed on April 7, 1992 in Central Islip. By signing up, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy & to receive electronic communications from Vice Media Group, which may include marketing promotions, advertisements and sponsored content. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. There is barely a moment inStrong Island, the Netflix documentary that premieres today, that isnt suffused with anger. On Sept. 15, Netflix dropped new documentary Strong Island, . The When Dunmore Ford recalls how much she and her husband, William Ford, Yance Ford, Williams younger brother, paints a portrait of not only a grave injustice but of a family broken. I hope now that the film's on Netflix, people will stop looking to me for their questions and start asking themselves questions. makes plain, the grand jury didnt care to find out what really skin. shop when the shooting occurred, was prepared to testify in court that killed, and what happened during the investigation, but also what 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.