Mann V. Ford

MANN V. FORD (July 18) follows members of the Ramapo Indian tribe in Upper Ringwood, NJ in their eight-year search for justice through a major class-action lawsuit. From the middle ‘50s through the late ‘70s, the Ford Motor Company operated an assembly plant in Mahwah, NJ that produced millions of cars each year, dumping what has been described as “thousands of tons of paint sludge and other waste” into abandoned mine shafts and residential land. Working-class residents of the area have been suffering from a range of ailments, including skin problems, bleeding disorders and increased rates of cancer and miscarriage, ever since. The film charts their uphill battle to secure a healthy future for their children. Directed by Maro Chermayeff (HBO’s “The Kindness of Strangers”) and Micah Fink (“Frontline”).