Demetrius Wren
Directing
Biography
Demetrius Wren recently released his latest narrative feature, Rehabilitation of the Hill, which explores how the ongoing effects of gentrification play out in a Black community in Pittsburgh through a You've Got Mail-esque love story. He graduated from the FSU Film School, concentrating in screenwriting and directing, where he was mentored by Academy Award winner Barry Jenkins.Demetrius wrote his first play Legends, Myths and Hieroglyphs about single mother families in rural Black America, told through the eyes of a young child, which had a run in New York and was called by Christopher Durang one of the most original scripts he’s read. Demetrius directed the Emmy Award winning Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood's early seasons’ live action content and directed the independent documentary Streetball about the 2008/2009 South African Homeless World Cup teams and the state of South Africa’s homeless population leading up to the country hosting the World Cup. He’s co-directed VR films for the United Nations and directed the independent features Saudade? and Moon and Sun. He’s currently developing his screenplay, Heartland, following a group of Black kids in a blue collar town who discover a portal to a magical world where they must connect with their lost parents to solve an ancient riddle and save the world as they know it, battling African mythological creatures and spirits and ultimately becoming the heroes they were destined to be. Think Attack the Block meets the Chronicles of Narnia.
