Portola Middle School

quot;Thirteen" Filming Location. The many outdoor school scenes were shot at Portola Middle School in Tarzana, most of them on a single Saturday in searing heat. Many of the extras were students and a few were crew members.

Thirteen is a 2003 American drama film directed by Catherine Hardwicke, and written by Hardwicke and Nikki Reed, the film's co-star. The film also stars Holly Hunter and Evan Rachel Wood. It is a semi-autobiographical film inspired by Reed's life at age 12 and 13 with Wood's character "Tracy" being loosely based upon Reed. The script was written in six days. The film caused controversy upon its release, because it dealt with topics such as drug and alcohol abuse, underage sexual behavior and self-harm.