In the 1920s, America’s most powerful industrialist was not only building cars—he was spreading hate. Henry Ford, the titan of the assembly line, used his vast fortune and publishing empire to circulate virulent antisemitic propaganda through his newspaper, The Dearborn Independent. But when Ford turned his attacks toward a California lawyer named Aaron Sapiro—accusing him of orchestrating a Jewish conspiracy to control American agriculture—Sapiro fought back. He did something no one else had dared to do: he sued Henry Ford for libel.

This film retraces the extraordinary courtroom battle that pitted a lone Jewish attorney against one of the richest men in the world. It explores the broader context of antisemitism in America, the uneasy collision between free speech and hate speech, and the personal courage it took for Sapiro to challenge Ford’s empire. Blending archival footage, legal history, and voices of contemporary scholars, Sapiro v. Ford: The Jew Who Sued Henry Ford illuminates a forgotten chapter in the American struggle for justice and dignity.

Gaylen Ross is an internationally-acclaimed award winning filmmaker whose films have premiered at Toronto International Film Festival, Berlinale, Hamptons Film Festival, FIFDH/Geneva, Haifa Film Festival and broadcast on PBS’ P.O.V, BBC Storyville, UK Ch4, Israel’s Ch8 and Ch2. Her Emmy award winning film Blood Money: Switzerland’s Nazi Gold on the Swiss Banks and the Holocaust accounts was broadcast on A&E. Other feature documentaries include Dealers Among Dealers considered the only inside look into the cloistered diamond world of New York’s 47th Street; Killing Kasztner: The Jew Who Dealt With Nazis, premiering at TIFF and winner best documentary feature Boston Jewish Film Festival, with a theatrical release in the US, Israel and France; Caris’ Peace about an actress who lost her memory. She co-directed two documentaries about China, Beijing Spring, jury award winner Fifa Montreal, and Ximei, executive produced by Ai Weiwei, winner best documentary Palm Springs International Festival.