A native of Kansas, Tregenza earned his PhD in theater arts from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1982.[1] In the following years, he would continue to make experimental films out of his Sykesville, Maryland studio, financially supporting his work by making advertisements and industrial films with wife and producer J.K. Eareckson. Tregenza eventually made his feature film debut, Talking to Strangers, which premiered in 1988.[2] Since then, he has produced, directed and photographed three more feature films: The Arc (1991), a co-production with Film Four International, Inside/Out (1997), and Gavagai (2016).
Tregenza's fourth feature film, Gavagai (2016) was shot in 35mm, in Telemark, Norway.
It stars Andreas Lust, Anni-Kristiina Juuso, and Mikkel Gaup and was based on 15 poems by Tarjei Vesaas. The film was distributed theatrically in North America by Shadow Distribution and was sixth in Metacritic's list of the best-reviewed feature films distributed in 2018.[6]