Zion DeBeatham
- Additional Crew
- Director
- Writer
Zion DeBeatham is an American Director/Writer/Actor born in the Bronx
but raised in the Caribbean (Jamaica). The vast differences in the two
cultures by which he was exposed to gave life to his creativity and
vast experiences for story development. Raised by his beloved and
'quite strict' grandmother 'Bunny', Zion was never allowed to step foot
in a movie theater or hang out with the local young crowd. It was
strictly school during the week and church on Sunday. His primary
source of entertainment was working the farm with his grandfather,
playing with one of their many animals or sitting by the radio
listening to stories being read over the air with his grandmother. He
accredits this with where he earned his masters degree in writing and
his innate ability to bring a story to life. In 1977 Zion stepped foot
on US soil for the first time since his birth. It was during that
summer that he was bitten by the movie bug when his mother took him to
a movie theater for the first time to see 'Star Wars'. After serving
several years as a United States Marine, the martial arts instructor
enrolled in The Center For Media Arts in New York City to pursue his
passion. Zion's talents eventually made it's way through several film festivals, creating a
buzz and gaining notoriety until his creativity and drive caught the
attention of Production Designer 'Wynn Thomas' who took Zion under his
wing and mentored him in the movie business. One year later Zion got
his first big break on Hunger Games 'Catching Fire'. It was on this
film that Zion got to meet and be further inspired by director, Francis
Lawrence (Constantine, I Am Legend, Like Water For Elephants).