-Hannah Brown, JERUSALEM POST
"Fascinating documentary"
Now, that largely forgotten court case is the subject of a fascinating documentary, Sapiro v. Ford: The Jew Who Sued Henry Ford, by acclaimed director Gaylen Ross. She is known for the Emmy-winning Blood Money: Switzerland’s Nazi Gold and Killing Kasztner: The Jew Who Dealt With Nazis, as well as many other films on such diverse subjects as boxers and Chinese artists. MORE
-Steven Lebowitz, THE MOVIE KNIGHT
“Powerful documentary”
Gaylen Ross … had an actor to play Sapiro using his (Sapiro’s) own words … and it really gives the documentary something fresh and keeps the audience engaged. … I would certainly give it
(the film) an early nomination this year for best documentary. I know it’s only January but this was a really powerful documentary and really kept me wildly engaged and I learned a lot. MORE at broadcast 8:45
Every once in a while, part of a film’s or a book’s importance lies in what it does not tell us explicitly. This is the case with Gaylen Ross’s outstanding new documentary, Sapiro v. Ford: The Jew Who Sued Henry Ford. The film chronicles the landmark defamation lawsuit brought in 1924 by Aaron Sapiro, a Jewish lawyer and farmers’ cooperative activist against one of the wealthiest and most influential Americans at that time...director Gaylen Ross does a superb job of making this David and Goliath confrontation relatable to contemporary audiences, including how the litigation ended in a mistrial in 1927, followed by a less than satisfactory settlement that essentially let Ford off the hook. MORE
-Menachem Rosensaft,
TIMES OF ISRAEL
-Olivia Haynie, THE FORWARD
“Not only was he prophetic in worrying about what would happen in a society that condemned not only the Jewish community, but people who were different and refugees,” Ross said of Sapiro. “But his focus on democracy — and he says it strongly — that democracy is not just about politics; it’s about how you live your life and how you collaborate and work together.” MORE
-Rich Tenorio, TIMES OF ISRAEL
Beyond amplifying Sapiro, the film looks at the ever-present debate between balancing First Amendment protections for free speech with defending minority rights in America.
“We definitely support freedom of speech,” Ross said, while noting “the concern we have for when hate speech often turns to hate crime. That’s the difficulty of protecting rights and freedom of speech at the same time… and also protecting the vulnerable.” MORE
