MADE IN DAGENHAM

Director: Cast: , , , Run Time: 113 minutes Country: United Kingdom Year: 2010 Language : English Distributor: Maple Pictures Ratings: ON NR / BC NR / AB NR / SK NR / MB NR / PQ NR / Maritimes NR

Film Circuit favourite Nigel Cole ( Saving Grace, ) directs a supremely talented ensemble cast led by Sally Hawkins ( An Education, Happy-Go-Lucky ) with wonderful turns from Miranda Richardson ( Wah-Wah, Harry Potter ) as the British Minister of Labour, and Bob Hoskins ( Paris, je t’aime, Mrs. Henderson Presents ) as a loveable union steward, in the director’s latest offering, . A dramatization of the 1968 strike at Britain’s Ford Dagenham car plant where female workers walked out in protest against sexual discrimination, Made In Dagenham follows newbie union representative Rita (Hawkins) and her spirited posse of blue-collared maidens as they tirelessly take their grievance to the highest powers in the land. In reality, these ladies were directly responsible for equal pay legislation across the globe - no small feat during any era, but especially so in the male- dominated corporate world that existed in Britain in the late 1960’s. Cole expertly weaves history with drama, concentrating not only on the actual strike, press coverage and political reactions, but on the individual families and the women themselves. It is here where Cole’s ability to convey the warmth shared between family, friends and colleagues, especially during tough times, takes us intimately inside his characters’ world. With a tight script by acclaimed writer Billy Ivory and a truly inspiring story at its heart, Made In Dagenham is a real crowd-pleaser in every sense. Not only because it is invigorates the spirit as only few films can, but also because it is based firmly in reality, and that sense never leaves us. We become increasingly close to all the characters, knowing they are real people, throughout the film, until interviews with the actual strikers are played under the rolling credits at the very end. For these reasons and so many more, Made In Dagenham is not to be missed.