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Did he think twice about putting it in? William C. Anderson is a freelance writer. Using startling close-ups of his face in direct address to the camera, Yances confessional and frank musings punctuate the films narrative. In April 1992, black 24-year-old teacher William Ford Jr. was gunned down by Mark Reilly, a white 19 year-old mechanic. A detailed history, The ending of Sex/Life season 2 explained. The tow truck was driven by a 19-year-old white mechanic named Mark Reilly. 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. Instead of spots serving as a springboard to TV series and theatrical features, it was Messerschmidts work on the TV series Mindhunter (Netflix) which established him as a DP, leading to spotmaking opportunities. Wondering why we ask for your email, or having trouble registering. Then, in 2012, when Trayvon Martin was shot, everyone came out of the woodwork like: Your storys so relevant! Jacobsen shot Strong Island with mostly Canon cameras, including the Canon 5D Mark III for very low-light nighttime exteriors, the Canon C300 for many of the interviews, the C300 Mark III at 4K for reframes on the photographs that Yance Ford manipulates by hand. This is at odds with the black, violent character he was dismissed as by police enforcement and a grand jury following his death. Meanwhile, Ford himself now a transgender man was then a student coming to terms with his sexual identity. Jacobsen had earlier lensed two documentaries for Curry: Racing Dreams and Point and Shooteach received the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary at the Tribeca Film Festival, in 2009 and 2014, respectively. What follows is an unflinching look into loss - how William's death impacted on his family, both mentally and physically - and racial injustice; how the US justice system sometimes seems interwoven with institutional racism. 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. I have no interest in giving Mark Reilly any space in this film. Smoke and Mirrors, episode 5 of The Crown, earned nominations at all the major competitions for best cinematographyfrom Camerimage to the BAFTA Awards, the primetime Emmys, and the British Society of Cinematographers (BSC) Awards. 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). Williams brother, Yance, has channeled his grief and heartache into a new true crime documentary on Netflix, Strong Island, premiering on Sept. 15, which suggests racial bias was a crucial factor in the investigations outcome. Jesuit Father Hans Zollner will be a consultant for the Diocese of Romes office dedicated to safeguarding minors and vulnerable people. When did Marc Riley get sacked from fall? You can either click on the link in your confirmation email or simply re-enter your email address below to confirm it. if you are trying to comment, you must log in or set up a new account. One of the tragedies of the film is that William was trying to figure out who he was 24 is that age, Yance Ford tells PEOPLE. Until a white person vouches for them. As a frequent reader of our website, you know how important Americas voice is in the conversation about the church and the world. When I started this, it was: I have to get this burden off my chest, he says. Yance reconstructs the story in his own words, and in interviews with his mother, Barbara (a retired high-school principal), his sister, and Williams friends, including one who was present at the scene of the killing. At press time, the L.A.-based Messerschmidt was returning to Pittsburgh to embark on season two of Mindhunter. Fords documentary focuses tightly on the taking of a single life: that of his elder brother. 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. Alan JacobsenUpon the suggestion of Oscar nominated filmmaker Marshall Curry, director Yance Ford reached out to cinematographer Alan Jacobsen, leading to their close collaboration on Strong Island (Netflix), nominated for this years Best Documentary Feature Oscar. William Ford Jr with sister Lauren (front left) and Yance (front right). Netflixs Strong Island is part crime documentary, part cathartic confessional from filmmaker Yance Ford about the brutal murder of his brother William Ford. The filmmakers intensive study of the case, the result of a minor dispute, unfolds both the latter-day state of racial relations on Long Island and its historical roots, which emerge in Barbaras account of the family storythe move from Charleston, South Carolina, to Brooklyn, and then to the suburbs. Mark Reilly. I wrote about her death afterward and reflected on how racism and the trauma of black peoples experiences are passed through black families. Yance reconstructs the story in his own words, and . Jacobsen also shot an interview and a smattering of scenes with a Sony F3 camera. new york's 14th congressional district crime rate But racial animus was never far behind. The Trusted Source For News, Information, Industry Trends, New ScreenWork, and The People Behind the Work in Film, TV, Commercial, Entertainment Production & Post Since 1960. [10][11] Inkoo Kang of TheWrap said the film "is a demanding, wrenching watch; an important work. 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. Here's what happened, who Mark Reilly was, and how he got away with murder: Weeks before William's murder on April 7, 1992, William, sister Lauren and a friend Lesline were driving back to. Please visit ourmembership pageto learn how you can invest in our work by subscribing to the magazine or making a donation. "Mark Reilly will make you out to be a monster, and people will believe him," Yance concludes. Why Did the Jury Acquit Him? When William spotted Reilly in the shop, and pointed him out as the mechanic who had cussed his mother, he followed him inside the garage, where Mark proceeded to shoot William in the chest with 22 caliber rifle. 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. If melting polar ice continues to raise the world's ocean levels, the low-lying island of . As Yance puts it: "The police had turned William into the prime suspect of his own murder.". They had worked together on prior projects, including when Messerschmidt served as a gaffer and 2nd unit DP on the Kosinski-directed Granite Mountain. The counter-narrative is already pushing back, he says. But the case never went to court: an all-white grand jury decided, behind closed doors, that there was no basis to indict the shooter. On paper, the Suffolk County Police Department filed the case as a homicide. He had gone to Reillys Long Island auto-repair shop to pick up his car. In April 1992, on Long Island NY, William Jr., the Ford's eldest child, a black 24 year-old teacher, was killed by Mark Reilly, a white 19 year-old mechanic. How many times are we going to have to hear that about a black person? Fords attempts to speak to those involved with the case are rebuffed. ; . So relevant! I saw the word relevant in my Facebook feed, like, a million times that year. And yet the Ford family remained in the US instead of seeking a less biased country.Something's missing here. There were no witnesses to the shooting itself, although there were plenty of people around, including Fords friend Kevin Myers. An all-white grand jury declined to indict. I have no interest in forgiving anybody. He had gone to Reilly's Long Island. Goldman said that the awards showing and his positive experience on The Crown justified his proactive pursuit of the gig. 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. His sole win this awards season came from the ASC. Just getting nominated across the board was gratifying, said Goldman. #ChiefBrodyTheLab #leiaofkalderaan. In the spring of 1992, William Ford Jr. was murdered by a young white mechanic named Mark Reilly. You just need a little bit of heat over a long period of time., Strong Island is on Netflix from 15 September, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. A Doctor Was Accused in the Fentanyl-Related Deaths of 14 Patients. The Fords had moved to Long Island from Brooklyn when Yance, Lauren and William were children, as the family believed it would be a safer environment. Strong Island is not an investigative documentary. Ford made history with the Oscar nod, becoming the first transgender filmmaker to receive an Academy Award nomination. Cosmopolitan participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. Sometimes documentaries dont get much credit for cinematic technique. Their father died after a stroke within a year of Williams death. Yance and Williams mother, Barbara a lifelong educator is in many ways the emotional anchor of the film. The DP cited a turning point where the mom Barbara talks about her son being killed and finds out that the justice system has let them down. It gives Long Islanders a sense of pride vs. saying they are from just Long Island, NY. 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. A grand jury receives a bill of indictment - a written accusation of one or more persons of a crime - which is submitted by the prosecution. Reilly should have gone to trial but didnt, and my family was destroyed because of injustice, says Fords brother, Yance. It recounts the murder of Yance Ford's older brother William in 1992. Like Fords brother, I am a black man named William; my maternal grandfather, also named William, was murdered by a white man. 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 . 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. Set in Central Islip, New York, Strong Island tells the story of William Ford, Jr., a young black man gunned down by a white auto repair shop employee in April 1992. Sep 15, 2017 'Strong Island' Recounts Slaying of Director's Unarmed Brother An old photo shows William Ford with his siblings Lauren (left) and Yance (right), director of "Strong Island." David too me under this wing and moved me up to shoot his series Mindhunter. (The alluded to still photography chops date back to when Messerschmidt worked for still shooter Gregory Crewdson. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Another made key contributions to the heartfelt Strong Island (Netflix), which was nominated for this years Best Documentary Feature Oscar. He took the initiative by approaching director Stephen Daldry for whom he had lensed the feature Trash back in 2013.