The Mermaid Award is presented by the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival to the best LGBTQI+ themed film from the Festival’s official selection. The prize, accompanied by a €3,000 cash prize, is awarded by a three-member jury. The members of this year’s committee are: Dina Iordanova, academic, Igor Myakotin, producer and director; and Thanasis Patsavos, journalist.
Dina Iordanova
Dina Iordanova is a Bulgarian/British film historian and critic. She is interested in global documentary, and has served on juries for many documentary festivals, including IDFA, Yamagata, and Astra. She has published extensively on the cinema of the Balkans, Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, as well as on film festivals and Asian cinema.
Dina Iordanova is a Bulgarian/British film historian and critic. She is interested in global documentary, and has served on juries for many documentary festivals, including IDFA, Yamagata, and Astra. She has published extensively on the cinema of the Balkans, Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, as well as on film festivals and Asian cinema.
Igor Myakotin
Igor Myakotin is a BAFTA-winning filmmaker who produced Queendom, shortlisted for the 97th Academy Award in the Documentary Feature Film category and Welcome to Chechnya shortlisted for the 93rd Academy Award in the Documentary Feature and Visual Effects categories, the first documentary ever shortlisted for Best Visual Effects. He explores the nuance of queer liberation in conservative environments. Igor was a part of 2025 Berlinale Talents and a 2022 Sundance Producing Fellow. He was named as one of the “40 Under 40” working in documentary industry by DOC NYC.
Igor Myakotin is a BAFTA-winning filmmaker who produced Queendom, shortlisted for the 97th Academy Award in the Documentary Feature Film category and Welcome to Chechnya shortlisted for the 93rd Academy Award in the Documentary Feature and Visual Effects categories, the first documentary ever shortlisted for Best Visual Effects. He explores the nuance of queer liberation in conservative environments. Igor was a part of 2025 Berlinale Talents and a 2022 Sundance Producing Fellow. He was named as one of the “40 Under 40” working in documentary industry by DOC NYC.
Thanasis Patsavos
Thanasis Patsavos was born and raised in Athens, where he studied Communication and Media Studies at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. As a film journalist and critic, he has worked for both print and online press (Time Out Athens, ΒΗΜΑMEN, cinemagazine.gr, CINEMA, Flix.gr, etc.), and he has also served as the editor-in-chief of the official periodical publications issued by MEDIA Desk Hellas and CINEMA magazine. For more than a decade, he has been working as a film programmer with the Athens International Film Festival Opening Nights. He is a member of the documentary production company Exile Films and the non-profit organization Exile Room, where he has been curating special documentary features and educational programs. He has also curated film tributes for other cultural organizations, such as the Greek Film Archive and the Onassis Stegi. He worked as a production coordinator on Valerie Kontakos’ feature-length documentary Queen of the Deuce (2022), which had its world premiere at the DOC NYC Film Festival.
Thanasis Patsavos was born and raised in Athens, where he studied Communication and Media Studies at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. As a film journalist and critic, he has worked for both print and online press (Time Out Athens, ΒΗΜΑMEN, cinemagazine.gr, CINEMA, Flix.gr, etc.), and he has also served as the editor-in-chief of the official periodical publications issued by MEDIA Desk Hellas and CINEMA magazine. For more than a decade, he has been working as a film programmer with the Athens International Film Festival Opening Nights. He is a member of the documentary production company Exile Films and the non-profit organization Exile Room, where he has been curating special documentary features and educational programs. He has also curated film tributes for other cultural organizations, such as the Greek Film Archive and the Onassis Stegi. He worked as a production coordinator on Valerie Kontakos’ feature-length documentary Queen of the Deuce (2022), which had its world premiere at the DOC NYC Film Festival.
