Elena Zervopoulou has worked as an ethno psychologist in Paris (Masters in Clinical Cross-cultural Psychology, University of Paris) offering therapeutic sessions to immigrant families and their “second generation children” by using an ethnological and psychoanalytical approach. She has been a consultant for the Primary Education department of UNESCO in Paris, in charge of developing and implementing a sub-program for the reinforcement of the education and of the socio-economic integration of Malagasy street children, abandoned and handicapped children (in Madagascar). She is currently collaborating with the University of Athens, as a consultant-tutor, for educational seminars/workshops on cross-cultural issues.
Being sensitive to “Communication for Development”, she has obtained a Masters in Anthropological and Documentary filmmaking from the University of Nanterre in Paris (tutorial by Jean Rouch and his crew). Her academy film was projected in 2004 at the «The International Ethnographical Film Festival», in Paris. She has been meeting traditional, “indigenous” communities (in Chile, in Indonesia, in Malaysia, in Philippines…). Through filming them she has tried to highlight their local wisdom, necessary for their sustainable development, while dealing with social and human rights issues. Elena has co-produced, directed, filmed and edited the following documentaries: “Sabah” 26min (bought by RAI and ERT), “Flowers and knives ” 52min, “Sea Gypsies” 52min (in production), “Ngata Toro” 52min (in production), and a 30min video for Action Aid Greece. Since 2006, as an associate producer for Doclab in Rome, she has worked on nationally and internationally distributed long documentaries.
