The Mermaid Award is a prize for the best LGBTQIA+-themed film from the official selection of the Thessaloniki International Film Festival. The award is accompanied by a monetary prize of 3,000 euros. The Jury is composed of Lorenzo dell’Agnello, Film Officer, Giornate degli Autori; Chester Algernal Gordon, producer; and Nancy Papathanasiou, clinical psychologist and co-founder of Orlando LGBT+.
Lorenzo Dell’Agnello
He began his career in 2010 at Festival dei Popoli, the international documentary film festival in Florence, where he worked for seven years, first as a Film Office Assistant, later as Head of the Film Office and a member of the selection committee. In 2017, he joined Sky Italia, working in the programming team for the free-to-air channels Cielo and TV8 as a Rights Acquisition Coordinator. He currently serves as Head of Acquisition and Sales for Berta Film, a Florence-based production and distribution company, and collaborates with Giornate degli Autori in Venice as part of the Film Office. In addition, he is a programmer for the Sicilia Queer International New Vision Film Festival in Palermo and a series buyer for MYmovies ONE, a leading Italian SVOD platform.
He began his career in 2010 at Festival dei Popoli, the international documentary film festival in Florence, where he worked for seven years, first as a Film Office Assistant, later as Head of the Film Office and a member of the selection committee. In 2017, he joined Sky Italia, working in the programming team for the free-to-air channels Cielo and TV8 as a Rights Acquisition Coordinator. He currently serves as Head of Acquisition and Sales for Berta Film, a Florence-based production and distribution company, and collaborates with Giornate degli Autori in Venice as part of the Film Office. In addition, he is a programmer for the Sicilia Queer International New Vision Film Festival in Palermo and a series buyer for MYmovies ONE, a leading Italian SVOD platform.
Chester Algernal Gordon
Chester Algernal Gordon is a producer whose work sparks conversations between the left and right, exploring identity, humanity, and purpose. Their films have premiered at leading festivals including TIFF, NYFF, Tribeca, BFI, Sundance, Docs Against Gravity, as well as the Thessaloniki IDF. Gordon produced The Inspection (A24), starring Jeremy Pope and Gabrielle Union, which received Golden Globe, Gotham, and Independent Spirit Award nominations. They also produced Pier Kids (Truer Than Fiction Award, Spirit Awards), Move Ya Body: The Birth of House (Sundance, Tribeca, Sheffield, Sydney), and the Sundance-winning short Ship: A Visual Poem. Gordon co-founded Freedom Principle with Elegance Bratton and is producing the upcoming feature By Any Means.
Chester Algernal Gordon is a producer whose work sparks conversations between the left and right, exploring identity, humanity, and purpose. Their films have premiered at leading festivals including TIFF, NYFF, Tribeca, BFI, Sundance, Docs Against Gravity, as well as the Thessaloniki IDF. Gordon produced The Inspection (A24), starring Jeremy Pope and Gabrielle Union, which received Golden Globe, Gotham, and Independent Spirit Award nominations. They also produced Pier Kids (Truer Than Fiction Award, Spirit Awards), Move Ya Body: The Birth of House (Sundance, Tribeca, Sheffield, Sydney), and the Sundance-winning short Ship: A Visual Poem. Gordon co-founded Freedom Principle with Elegance Bratton and is producing the upcoming feature By Any Means.
Nancy Papathanasiou
Clinical Psychologist, scientific co-director and co-founder of Orlando LGBT+ Mental Health Beyond the Stigma, and scientific co-director of the 11528 Psychological Support Hotline for LGBTQI+ individuals. She works as a (clinical) researcher on questions of perception and the consequences of discrimination in the adaptation and mental health of disadvantaged groups – intersectionally and historically – through the lens of the mental resilience model, with a particular emphasis on issues of gender, sexual, and relationship diversity. Along with Elena-Olga Christidi, they have co-edited the collective volume Inclusion and Resilience: Basic Principles in Counseling and Psychotherapy for Issues of Sexual Orientation, Identity, Expression, and Gender Characteristics. She has taught at the Psychology and Social Work Departments in public universities for a long period of time.
Clinical Psychologist, scientific co-director and co-founder of Orlando LGBT+ Mental Health Beyond the Stigma, and scientific co-director of the 11528 Psychological Support Hotline for LGBTQI+ individuals. She works as a (clinical) researcher on questions of perception and the consequences of discrimination in the adaptation and mental health of disadvantaged groups – intersectionally and historically – through the lens of the mental resilience model, with a particular emphasis on issues of gender, sexual, and relationship diversity. Along with Elena-Olga Christidi, they have co-edited the collective volume Inclusion and Resilience: Basic Principles in Counseling and Psychotherapy for Issues of Sexual Orientation, Identity, Expression, and Gender Characteristics. She has taught at the Psychology and Social Work Departments in public universities for a long period of time.
