The Lady in the Van

“Downton Abbey’s” Dame Maggie Smith, a two-time Oscar® winner, recreates one of her most celebrated roles – the singular Miss Shepherd – in TriStar’s The Lady in the Van, Alan Bennett’s big-screen comedic adaptation of his own iconic memoir and honored stage play. Bennett’s story is based on the true story of Miss Shepherd, a woman of uncertain origins who “temporarily” parked her van in Bennett’s London driveway and proceeded to live there for 15 years. What begins as a begrudged favor becomes a relationship that will change both their lives. Filmed on the street and in the house where Bennett and Miss Shepherd lived all those years, acclaimed director Nicholas Hytner reunites with Bennett (The Madness of King George, The History Boys) to bring this touching, poignant, and life-affirming story to the screen.