FOR the 187 women machinists employed at Ford’s Dagenham assembly plant in 1968, the 1960s was a decade when a single act of rebellion changed history.

Disgusted by their lowly standing in the eyes of management compared to the male workers, the women went on strike to protest against unequal pay and sexual discrimination.

The subsequent power struggle with the board of the plant established a precedent for women around the world, proving that a few strong-willed individuals can slay a corporate giant.

The creative team behind Calendar Girls draws inspiration from this true story to craft another hilarious and heart-warming tale of female empowerment.

Blessed with a powerful lead performance from Sally Hawkins , Made In Dagenham dismisses the notion that Essex girls serve only one purpose as the butt of cheap jokes.

As the men in Nigel Cole’s film learn to their cost, it is these strong-willed heroines who end up smiling.

Mother of two Rita O’Grady (Hawkins) works in the Ford plant with good friend Connie (Geraldine James), who is a union rep alongside Alfred Passingham (Bob Hoskins).

When the management, led by Peter Hopkins (Rupert Graves), shows preference to the male workers, Rita joins the negotiations and proves that she is no pushover.

When her words fall on deaf ears, Rita risks her marriage by persuading the workforce to go on strike and taking their grievances to Secretary of State for Employment, Barbara Castle (Miranda Richardson).

Meanwhile, Rita finds support from Hopkins’s wife Lisa (Rosamund Pike) and fellow machinists Brenda (Andrea Riseborough) and Andrea (Jaime Winstone).

Made in Dagenham evokes the 1960s perfectly with a toe-tapping soundtrack and fashions of the era.

Hawkins delivers a bravura, emotionally wrought performance as a woman who risks everything for what she believes in.

Richardson chews scenery with gusto in her few scenes, with strong support from Pike, Mays and Hoskins as the allies and loved ones embroiled in the fight for fairness.