Going Hollywood suits indie director Winick

Movie director and producer Gary Winick has arrived — in Hollywood, that is. For fans of independent film, that statement may seem odd. Winick and his InDigEnt film production company have been major players in art house cinemas for years, but Friday he goes Hollywood when Columbia Pictures debuts romantic comedy “13 Going on 30,” which he directed.Starring Jennifer Garner, “13 Going on 30” is the 43-year-old director’s first high-profile Hollywood flick. He aimed to make big movies when he started his career some 20 years ago, but never had the chance. In a twist of fate, it was the world of low-budget digital films that finally earned him a pass inside a major studio’s gates. Dreams, fate, life working out and taking second chances are main themes in “13 Going on 30,” in which Garner portrays a 13-year-old girl living in a 30 year-old woman’s body.Garner, the star of TV’s “Alias,” who has begun moving her career into movies, portrays Jenna Rink, New York-based editor of a fashion magazine.At 13, however, Jenna is a gawky, brainy preteen who desperately wants to hang with the hip “six chicks” that dress like Madonna and are led by the school’s queen of cool, Lucy.Low-budget films such as like “13 Going on 30.” rarely get the marketing support of major releases. As a result, fewer theaters play them.Winick has worked hard to get to this point. He didn’t become famous overnight or get plucked from film school and taken to the studio lot like Steven Spielberg.Source: Reuters