Simon Wincer is an Australian film and television director. He attended Cranbrook School, Sydney, from 1950 to 1961. On leaving school he worked as a stagehand at TV Station Channel 7. By the 1980s he had directed over 200 hours of television. In 1986, he directed the telemovie The Last Frontier and also won a Christopher Award. He also directed the 1993 family film Free Willy.
Wincer interviewed on AccessReel.com in 2011
Free Willy is a 1993 American family drama film, directed by Simon Wincer, produced by Lauren Shuler Donner and Jennie Lew Tugend, written by Keith A. Walker and Corey Blechman from a story by Walker and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures under their Family Entertainment imprint. The film stars Jason James Richter in his film debut, Lori Petty, Jayne Atkinson, August Schellenberg, and Michael Madsen with the eponymous character, Willy, played by Keiko.
Theatrical release poster