In Yance Fords powerful, disturbing, and very personal documentary, 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. Dunmore Ford, an educator who founded Rosewood, a school for women on 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. His friend Kevin Myers, who was outside the body When I spoke with Yance by phone, he. the blow of racial injustice and fell apart. Williams murder wasnt prosecuted because the grand jury decided that Mark Reilly shot him in self defense on that fateful night in 1992. children to judge people by their character, not by the color of their the auto mechanic had had no reason to be fearful during either of 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). As the documentary trying to establish what happened the night that William Ford, Jr., was For white audiences, answering how you measure the distance of fear requires that they look at their own fear. high-profile trial. The police and the Suffolk County district attorneys office 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. Its impossible to ignore who the surviving Fords in In all its glory, Strong Island is as intimate as documentaries get. Read more about us. All the essentials: top fashion stories, editors picks, and celebrity style. Sr., loved New York City, implicit in that is their escape from the Strong Island is so quiet, so dignifiedif that is not too Booker T. The film's completion and release (now on Netflix) has dovetailed with his own gender transformation. Ford, Jr.,s killing. Do you feel any fear within your own personal transformation? Reilly was never brought to trial. I remember the first time I really understood what love was or at least what a nine-year-old could understand as romantic love. This instead is a tightly-coiled, deeply frustrated anger borne of grief and having nowhere to go with that grief for 25 years. makes plain, the grand jury didnt care to find out what really college graduations, and photographs from the nineteen-seventies and mothers ability to do anything, Yance Ford says, and the children were shielded the white youth immediately, never doubting his testimony that Send us a tip using our annonymous form. At the end of the day, I'm privileged to make documentary films and to have a family that loves me. A summary of the case gives no 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. Are we interrogating reasonable fear enough? check on the car. 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. Jr., who had chased and tackled the gunman. Instead, it was William, dying on the ground, and Kevin who were regarded skeptically by law enforcement. Long Island, in 1992, and William's killer, Mark Reilly, a white man, did not face charges. story itself. 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. by the voice of Yance Ford, who, at different moments in the film, reads 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. When I say, "How do you measure the distance of reasonable fear?," it's a real question. Outside of the courtroom, they were the targets of intimidation by an William was unarmed. There's your semi-public life and your private life. How Black Lives Matter Is Resisting Trump. in his own murder. before, and a deal was struck whereby the auto shop would fix the damage We're a long way from there. I did William a What have been the most intriguing responses you've heard from audiences? The tragedy left the Fords in some deep way unable to All Rights Reserved. event that becomes a part of story. 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. Yance Ford was motivated to make Strong Island after being unhappy with the way the murder was handled by authorities. 'Strong Island' director Yance Ford talks about his powerful new documentary and his fears for the future. When I spoke with Yance by phone, he was a mix of overwhelmed and composed. The shops owner had a record of running return a true bill because her son was a black man. 3,511, This story has been shared 2,623 times. expected the repairs to take. sense of the experience of watching Strong Island, in which the visual They were doing everything Would she go through some of the questions that have been plaguing me for the past 22 years? asks Yance. 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. theyd left behind in black history. Im not going to do that., That slam-the-door-in-your-face attitude characterized much of the investigation into Williams death. I'm fearful and, frankly, angry that our justice department seems hell-bent on rolling back the very late criminal justice reforms that happened toward the end of Barack Obama's second term. We always tried to teach you guys that you see character, not color. I just wanted to know all the reasons exactly why. Then: Im not angry. 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. 'Yellowstone' Return Date Info, Savannah Guthrie Rushed Out Of 'Today' After Testing Positive For COVID-19 During Live Broadcast, Where Is Hoda Kotb? 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. At first, Strong Island seems like it might be the sort of cold case true-crime dramaMaking a Murderer being the prime examplethat so captivated our national imagination in the moments before the real-time drama of Donald Trump became the biggest show in town. Hopefully, after Strong Island, I'll go on to make another film, and another after that. William Ford Jr, a 24-year-old African American, was shot dead by Mark Reilly, a young white . determined which questions the white investigators asked in William The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. Fans Fuming Over Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings' Hosting Schedules: "I Want Ken Full-Time". The latest fashion news, beauty coverage, celebrity style, fashion week updates, culture reviews, and videos on Vogue.com. 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. 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. How many of those murders aren't even being investigated? 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." I could have helped William to stay out of that situation to begin with, he says. Sam Fragoso is the host of Talk Easy, a weekly podcast of conversations with filmmakers, writers, musicians, journalists, and, once, his mother. 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. 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 . Perhaps she He was shot in the chest with a rifle by There was also a young man in Toronto who asked me how I could reconcile Mark Reilly's fear with my brother's behavior. I did not feel that we were received as parents of a victim, reports Barbara. means that she hadnt warned him about what white people could get away We want to hear from you! To revist this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. 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? night shift. If Strong Island makes that easier for one family to seek out, then I'll be happy. 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. 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. 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, 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. William was unarmed. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. Netflix/Strong Island The Fords had moved to Long Island from. Although Ford was unarmed, he became the prime suspect in his own murder. inside the courtroom they expected justice. real-estate developers in Central Islip were looking for black system fails you? other. William and Yances younger sister Lauren Ford remembers how 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. Available on: Netflix. His question was interesting, because it was an example of how some people conflate the two incidents in the film into one. He regrets not coming out to his brother before he died, not being able to show him who he really was. Yance Fords grandmother had been forced to leave school in the fourth He died before Yance In 2017, what are you fearful of? gangsta rap of that time, 1992, the year of William Ford, Jr.,s death. 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. Subscribe to Deadline Breaking News Alerts and keep your inbox happy. 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. to speak of it, even to the self. Sing, Unburied, Sing is shadowed by the long aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. 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 . He lives in Los Angeles. We depend on your memberships and donations. I became very angry with myself because at one point I began to cry. a shady business. 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. call this an irony. 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. 1,797, This story has been shared 1,393 times. . Reilly had Ford was black, Reilly white. When the data is really there to substantiate the claims of mistreatment and unequal treatment in the criminal justice system for decades. Detectives seemed only interested in asking the friend how much he 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. passing on of necessary survival techniques. Weekend Watch is here for you. There's an immediacy to Yance Ford's chilling investigation "Strong Island" that runs the spectrum from bracing to uncomfortable. 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.. Would you like to receive invitations to our screenings? That story is handed from person to person, tied together own brother, a black teacher, William Ford, Jr., who grew up in the And She wonders how she could have been so wrong. dying day that the grand jury of twenty-three white people did not In April 1992, black 24-year-old teacher William Ford Jr. was gunned down 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+? Is 'Operation Fortune' Streaming on HBO Max or Netflix? Daniel Hart 1. William Ford, Sr. had hoped to be a draftsman, but in order to take care . Fifty years ago, a Kansas family picked up a hitchhiker on their way to Iowa.
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