Thea Mercouffer

Roles: Director, Producer

Born and raised in Romania, Thea and her family escaped the communist dictatorship in 1989, and immigrated to the US, where she continued to pursue her passion for acting and directing. In 1995 Thea received an MFA from the University of Washington. She worked as an actor in theater in film nationally and internationally, and since 2002, she has dedicated her time exclusively to film directing, her attention keenly focused on social issues. Thea directed, co-produced and co-wrote 6 films about sexual assault, in six different languages, as an educational tool for various immigrant communities in the US. Her documentary on human trafficking, I just keep quiet won the Pegasus Award for Excellence – the highest honor for government-sponsored projects. Heather and Goliath, her short doc about the whistleblower who brought the LA River to national attention in 2008,  garnered multiple awards at national and international festivals. Rock the Boat – her first feature doc – was completed in late 2012 and has already won the People’s Choice Award at the Wild & Scenic Film Festival, the Isla Earth Award for Environmental Filmmaking at the Catalina Film Fest, and Best Feature at FILMAntrhopy. Thea lives and works in Venice, CA with her husband, their two children and Moxy the dog.