''Strong Island'' is an American 2017 true-crime documentary film directed by

Yance Ford Yance Ford () is an African-American transgender producer and director. Life and career Ford graduated from Hamilton College in 1994. Beginning in 2002 he worked as a series producer at PBS for ten years. In 2011 he was named one of ''Filmmaker ...

Synopsis

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. An all-white grand jury in Suffolk County declined to indict his killer, who claimed self-defense.

Release and reception

The film premiered at the

2017 Sundance Film Festival The 2017 Sundance Film Festival took place from January 19 to January 29, 2017. The first lineup of competition films was announced November 30, 2016. Awards The following awards were presented: * Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic – ''I Don't Feel at ...

. Worldwide rights were acquired by

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...

. It received a

Gotham Independent Film Award for Best Documentary The Gotham Independent Film Award for Best Documentary is one of the annual Gotham Independent Film Awards. It was first presented in 2004 with Jonathan Demme's '' The Agronomist'' being the first recipient of the award. Winners and nominees 200 ...

in 2017 and was nominated for the 2018

Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature An academy ( Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosoph ...

. It was also nominated for an Emmy in Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking that year. It received generally positive reviews from critics. Inkoo Kang of ''

TheWrap ''TheWrap'' is an American online news website covering the business of entertainment and media via digital, print and live events. It was founded by journalist Sharon Waxman Sharon I. Waxman (born c.1963) is an American author, journalist, ...

'' said the film "is a demanding, wrenching watch; an important work." Bilge Ebiri of ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, th ...

'' 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."

References

External links

Official website
* *
Interview with Roger Ebert
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