Strong Island

2017
TV-MA
1h 47m

IMDb RATING

6.4/10

4.2K

YOUR RATING

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. Although Ford was unarmed, he became the prime suspect in his own murder. Director Yance Ford chronicles the arc of his family across history, geography and tragedy - from the racial segregation of the Jim Crow South to the promise of New York City; from the presumed safety of middle class suburbs, to the maelstrom of an unexpected, violent death. It is the story of the Ford family: Barbara Dunmore, William Ford and their three children and how their lives were shaped by the enduring shadow of racism in America.

Play trailer2:16

1 Video

5 Photos

Crime Documentary Crime Documentary

When filmmaker Yance Ford investigates the 1992 murder of a young Black man, it becomes an achingly personal journey, since the victim, 24-year-old William Ford Jr., was the filmmaker's brot... Read allWhen filmmaker Yance Ford investigates the 1992 murder of a young Black man, it becomes an achingly personal journey, since the victim, 24-year-old William Ford Jr., was the filmmaker's brother.When filmmaker Yance Ford investigates the 1992 murder of a young Black man, it becomes an achingly personal journey, since the victim, 24-year-old William Ford Jr., was the filmmaker's brother.

Director
- Yance Ford
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.4/10

4.2K

YOUR RATING

Director
- Yance Ford
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 13 wins & 11 nominations total

Videos1

Trailer 2:16

Watch Official Trailer

Photos5

Trivia
The film took 10 years to maker; director Yance Ford shot over 500 hours of footage.

Quotes
Yance Ford: How do you measure the distance of reasonable fear?

Connections
Referenced in Sean Bradley's First Reaction: 90th Academy Awards - Nominations (2018)

Soundtracks
Strong Island
by J.V.C. F.O.R.C.E.
Album: Doin' Damage
Released: 1988 Genre: Hip-hop/rap

User reviews43

Review

Featured review

10/10

Great documentary

The whole point of this documentary is to humanize the victim and show the viewers the human side of this story. It just baffles me how some people here couldn't grasp this simple emotional-based point. We do need more of this kind of documentaries for us to feel each other's pain.