<Tr> <Th> Budget </Th> <Td> $4.5 million </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Box office </Th> <Td> $22 million </Td> </Tr> <P> Norma Rae is a 1979 American drama film, directed by Martin Ritt in a screenplay written by Harriet Frank, Jr. and Irving Ravetch . Based on the true story of Crystal Lee Sutton, which was told in the 1975 book Crystal Lee, a Woman of Inheritance by New York Times reporter Henry P. Leifermann . the film stars Sally Field in the titular role . Beau Bridges, Ron Leibman, Pat Hingle, Barbara Baxley and Gail Strickland appear in supporting roles . The film's narrative follows a factory worker from a small town in North Carolina who becomes involved in the labor union activities at the textile factory where she works after the health of her and her co-workers is compromised . </P> <P> Norma Rae premiered at the 1979 Cannes Film Festival where it competed for the Palme d'Or, while Field received the Best Actress Prize . The film was released theatrically on March 2, 1979, and upon its release was a critical and commercial success with critics appreciating the film's direction, screenplay, message and performances (in particular of Field's), while the film grossed $22 million on a production budget of $4.5 million . </P>

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