Yet Stephen wanted to show this world in an organic, believable way. When an all-white grand jury in Long Island decided that no crime had been committed, Riley, like the four L.A.P.D. The killing has tormented Fords family ever since: His father, William, had a stroke two years later, and his mother, Barbara, was left with debilitating health issues. 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. Little White Lies was established in 2005 as a bi-monthly print magazine committed to championing great movies and the talented people who make them. And a third DP has spent a recent stretch focusing on spots after getting a career break from David Fincher on the TV series Mindhunter (Netflix). A less-is-more kind of coverage was our goal. The year before he was shot through the heart killed by a man who was never prosecuted people were calling 24-year-old William Ford, Jr., a hero. We wanted the audience to see every pore, to feel the texture of the Queens skin, to feel the costumes, the fabricsAnother challenge was kind of a tricky combination. As I watched the documentary, I could not help but compare it to my own experiences. Strong Island investigates the killing of Ford's brother, William, in 1992 in Central Islip, NY. Ford believes that 20 years of stress and self-blame and second-guessing and disappointment and anger contributed to her death. Barbara admitted to herself that she did a disservice to William with this ideal which may have contributed to her son being killed. At a police press conference in Changsha, a 90-minute flight west of Shanghai, Mr Reilly was formally accused of presiding over a massive bribery network in which doctors and health officials were illegally paid 320million over several years. 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. Questions about official procedure, conduct and extra-judicial influence go unanswered. Marshall came to know me as a cinematographer who went deep with a director, deep into a story, committed to telling stories in the most cinematic way possible, said Jacobsen. To do so gets us further away from solving the problems. review Ford was unarmed, Reilly brandished a rifle, and the teenagerwho had an extensive criminal recordtook one shot at Ford, piercing him in the heart. As Yance puts it: "The police had turned William into the prime suspect of his own murder.". I have no interest in forgiving anybody. Twenty-five years ago, with one fatal bullet to the heart, a family on Long Island, New York, was forever changed. "[12] Bilge Ebiri of The Village Voice said the film is "truly special, especially as it moves towards its final act the film is unflinching in its portrayal of their devastation after the loss of their eldest son."[13]. For the Ford family, however, the trauma of Williams death is something they are still living with 25 years later. [10][11] Inkoo Kang of TheWrap said the film "is a demanding, wrenching watch; an important work. Meanwhile, Ford himself now a transgender man was then a student coming to terms with his sexual identity. When she shares that with us, the camera starts to move, almost imperceptibly at first., Jacobsen built a motorized motion control tracking system that would dolly the camera ever so slowly. Prescient documentary filmmaking from a family-oriented perspective. Theres empty space along with unclear or partial glimpses. In Strong Island, we watch as she becomes ill on Election Dayas did my own mother before passing away earlier this year. But in person, at least according to the Ford family, local police treated perpetrator Mark Reilly as if he hadn't committed any crime at all. Theres a real freshness to this show. A grand jury - which was comprised of 23 white people - later decided whether there was sufficient evidence to put the accused - Mark Reilly - on trial. Kevin recalls that there were about 20 people in the shop at the time, and most were laughing and cajoling William as he tried to grab a car door, threw a hoover and picked up a hammer. Mindhunter sparked interest in Messerschmidt from the commercialmaking community, yielding perhaps most notably the aforementioned Taco Bell campaign for Deutsch, the centerpiece of which was a tongue-in-cheek trailer for a movie that doesnt exist. As a frequent reader of our website, you know how important Americas voice is in the conversation about the church and the world. You can find out more and change our default settings with Cookies Settings. Ford makes sure to document family history early on in the film, starting with his parents meeting in Jim Crow-era Charleston, S.C. Like many black families during periods of the Great Migration, his parents moved to Long Island in search of a better life. But is there a danger that characterising all white people as potential killers is mirroring the racism he is calling out? We have to deal with the way that race influences our criminal justice system, Yance says. William C. Anderson is a freelance writer. This is at odds with the black, violent character he was dismissed as by police enforcement and a grand jury following his death. Messerschmidt also shot for Pellington the Debbie Lovato music video Tell Me You Love Me.. Based on Morgans lauded play The Audience, The Crown chronicles the life of Queen Elizabeth II (portrayed by Claire Foy) from the 1940s to modern times. If a white will be murdered in the US, 8 chances in 10 it will be by a white person. Hes everywhere., Its a bold admission. 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 Ford . Messerschmidt said that as a DP he must make sure all the workfrom varied directorsfeels cohesive in the big series context. One night in April 1992, William Ford Jr, a 24-year-old African American, was shot dead by Mark Reilly, a young white mechanic. I will always believe that. This film allowed me to interrogate and ask questions, he explains. It recounts the murder of Yance Ford's older brother William in 1992. First, most of the black community in the United States have severe disadvantages in leading their lives. Loss turns the world upside down and puts chaos at the forefront of our existence, much like being black in the United States. Isnt such othering only strengthening the racial divide? Enter a Melbet promo code and get a generous bonus, An Insight into Coupons and a Secret Bonus, Organic Hacks to Tweak Audio Recording for Videos Production, Bring Back Life to Your Graphic Images- Used Best Graphic Design Software, New Google Update and Future of Interstitial Ads. When Stephen came back to Rio for the Trash premiere, The Crown was in the air, recalled Goldman. I had a list of 10 rules when we started Strong Island, and one of them was: Yance will never appear on camera with sync sound, Ford laughs. His mother, Barbara, speaks eloquently and movingly of her loss, and the silence that fell over the grieving household. There were no witnesses to the shooting itself, although there were plenty of people around, including Fords friend Kevin Myers. But it has become part of a national argument about whether young black men can feel safe in the US, Black lives are too easy to take in America because we dont want to question why people are so afraid of black and brown people to begin with, says Yance Ford, bluntly. The marriage between Ford and Smith lasted for life despite various issues, one being that Ford was Catholic while she was a non-Catholic divorce. After he was killed, the ensuing investigation would turnunsurprisingly, to most black viewersinto a character assassination of the victim himself. Follow. You feel the tension in the episode., Among the prime challenges, continued Goldman, was to shoot our own archival footage, what amounted to fake archival footage, re-creating what the BBC TV crew captured in the cathedral for the coronation. They also asked questions about William's size, and weight, rather than focusing on the crime. Speaking to his mother, sister and close family friends, he gives a sense of the close-knit happiness of the Ford family before the staggering trauma inflicted on them by Williams murder. lack lives are too easy to take in America because we dont want to question why people are so afraid of black and brown people to begin with, says Yance Ford, bluntly. William - a young black man aged just 24 - was shot dead in April 1992, but his murderer - a 19-year-old white mechanic named Mark Reilly - was never convicted of the crime. picture of mark reilly strong island. sydney domestic airport covidEntreDad start a business, stay a dad.. gmo negative effect on economy; rheese orbits positioning His responses surprised him: I was saying things out loud that I had never said before., At one point, for example, Ford talks about how he has never wanted to see an image of his brothers killer. The film, produced by Danny Glovers Louverture Films, suggests Suffolk County detectives let their personal racial biases impact the investigation. Halfway through Strong Island, Ford speaks of Williams killer, saying, He looks like everywhere. Mark Reilly looks like everywhere because the experience of injustice and grief is not exclusive to one place, person or time. Strong Island stands like a shrine to the memory of William Jr. and unfolds through conversational, informal style, both in narration and layout. Once thats wrapped in the fall, he plans to return to commercials. If you login and register your print subscription number with your account, youll have unlimited access to the website. Ford was unarmed. Until society as a whole does so, these disadvantages do not have a chance of being eliminated. This film is questioning if it was reasonable to decide there was no probable cause to move forward to trial. At press time, the L.A.-based Messerschmidt was returning to Pittsburgh to embark on season two of Mindhunter. In April 1992, black 24-year-old teacher William Ford Jr. was gunned down by Mark Reilly, a white 19 year-old mechanic. More than 10 years ago, Yance decided to make a film that would both examine the brutal circumstances surrounding his brothers death while also celebrating and reclaiming Williams memory. Some people gotta bend it! he says with a smile. Chris Harris has been a senior true crime reporter for PEOPLE since late 2015. What we can begin to wrestle with is why a film like this has to exist in the first place. We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article. A Doctor Was Accused in the Fentanyl-Related Deaths of 14 Patients. Then, in 2012, when Trayvon Martin was shot, everyone came out of the woodwork like: Your storys so relevant! @christinalefou. It avoids showering too many facts on the audience all at once, carefully withholding pivotal pieces of information as a way to develop the drama. Ford spent much of the last day of his life in a Brooklyn courtroom, a witness for the prosecution in the case. It is laced with placid visuals of Long Island and narrated by Ford. LWLies 97: The All the Beauty and the Bloodshed issue Out now! Yance made it clear this wasnt to be an investigative piece of what went wrong but rather why it happened and the systemic problems behind what went down that night.. It was a simple case of self-defence and reasonable fear. Why Did the Jury Acquit Him? And in several striking scenes, Ford addresses the camera directly and frankly, his shaved head looming out of a black background and filling the frame. Logging in will also give you access to commenting features on our website. I have no interest in giving Mark Reilly any space in this film. For season two, hes moving over to RED 8K with the Helium sensor. Im also not willing to accept that someone else gets to say who William was. Essential, devastating viewing. An award-winning journalist who has worked forRolling Stone and MTV News, Chris enjoys prog rock, cycling, Marvel movies, IPAs, and roller coasters. 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. In the latter case, Strong Island avoids standard documentary techniques and establishes its own unique aesthetic. 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 . But racial animus was never far behind. 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. Jacobsen found most helpful the use of a still photo tripod head, the Gitzo 405, Unlike a fluid head, the Gitzo 405 cannot smoothly pan or tilt, making for what at times can be a non-accommodating, uncorrected frame. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. Just getting nominated across the board was gratifying, said Goldman. The grand jury returned with a No True Bill,labelling Reilly's actions as those of self-defence in retaliation to the previous altercation, and that it was a justifiable shooting. Fords attempts to speak to those involved with the case are rebuffed. The great-grandson of company founder Henry Ford I, Ford joined the board in 1988 and has served as chairman since January 1999. actor Ken Curtis It gives Long Islanders a sense of pride vs. saying they are from just Long Island, NY. Yance Fords extraordinarily dramatic documentary is both personal and investigative. Why do people call Long Island Strong Island? . The company is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and is controlled by the Ford family; they have minority ownership but the majority of the voting power.