Florence Stervinou-Le Lerre

QUICK BIO: Born in La Fère in the Hauts-de-France region of France, Florence Stervinou-Le Lerre had lived a thousand lives before settling in Lyon. Her father worked in the civil service industry, so she enjoyed a globetrotting childhood. Leaving France, they moved to Djibouti on the Horn of Africa, then in Germany, and later in New Caledonia. From these experiences, she has kept a passion for travel and a fascination with other cultures. Upon returning to France, she worked as a manager in the ready-to-wear fashion industry for several years. However, the call of the wide world proved too strong: in 2009, she received training at the Bioforce Institute in Lyon, which specializes in humanitarian work. After obtaining her diploma, she joined Médecins Sans Frontières and set off on humanitarian missions as a human resources expert in various countries including Haiti, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Niger and Palestine. In 2019, she joined the Forum Réfugiés organization as Head of Human Resources.  Three years ago, Florence joined the team of volunteers at the Cinémas du Sud festival held at the Institut Lumière, and a few months later, became a member of the team at the Lumière festival too. Her commitment was a natural choice for this Lyon resident. She has what filmmaker and actress Agnès Jaoui would call The Taste of Others. 

MY FAVORITE FILMMAKERS: Clint Eastwood, for his subtle dialogue and the beauty of his images. And I was lucky enough to see him up close when he came to the festival. At the awards ceremony, I was sitting three rows in front of him. I think I spent more time looking at him than watching the film that evening!
 

THE MOVIE THEATER WHERE I DISCOVERED THE CINEMA: It was an open-air cinema set up at the Djibouti air base. Sometimes you’d see little lizards scurrying across the screen!

MY GO-TO FILM: Captive of the Desert by Raymond Depardon. It’s a film that reconnects me with the Africa of my childhood. Plus, Sandrine Bonnaire’s performance is incredible!

VOLUNTEERING: The idea of connection lies at the heart of my commitment; it is important to me, too, to be part of a multigenerational and multicultural environment.
 

MY MISSIONS AT THE FESTIVAL Welcoming members of the public to the bookshop, the Hangar and the Villa. I also help welcome festivalgoers to the Cinema Village during the lectures and check tickets.

 — Interview by Laura Lépine