Theodore “Teddy” Grouya is the Founder, Director and Programmer of the American Documentary and Animation Film Festival (AmDocs), as well as President of Cinema Arts Magic, a film production company based in Palm Springs, California. Teddy has been working on and off in the entertainment industry since 1981. He received his BA from UCLA, studying motion picture/television & history. After graduating, he worked on several Hollywood films, as well as directing a live television telethon. From there, Teddy went to Australia, where he received an MA from the Australian National University in International Relations. Teddy worked for the US Embassy in Australia and went on to Washington D.C., where he was a program specialist at USIA for the Fulbright Program, helping to design worldwide university affiliations. Teddy was recruited to go back to Australia to head the U.S. contingent’s Protocol Office at the World’s Fair. Upon leaving the government, he went to work in film, producing and directing several award-winning independent movies, in both the documentary and narrative fields. Teddy oversees all programming and managerial aspects of AmDocs, and is viewed by industry professionals as one of the most hands-on festival directors in the world.
