In a series profiling today’s film directors, we meet Kevin Smith, who established himself as a force in independent filmmaking when his 1994 “Clerks” won Sundance. Born and raised in New Jersey, Smith shot “Clerks” in a convenience store in which he worked–when it was closed at night! His films “Mallrats”, “Chasing Amy”, “Dogma”, and “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back” all have a cult following. “Jersey Girl” (2004), with Ben Affleck, Liv Tyler, and George Carlin, was his first mainstream film.