Mermaid Award

Konstantinos Menelaou is a Greek director and producer with a strong artistic background in experimental and documentary cinema. He holds an MA in Fine Art from Central Saint Martins and has created, in collaboration with artists and creatives, a range of short films, video art, and fashion projects. With a deep passion for documentary filmmaking, his work explores queer narratives, identity, and social issues through a personal and sincere lens. He is the founder of The Queer Archive, a creative company dedicated to producing bold and visually striking works that highlight LGBTQ+ stories and promote new, progressive narratives.

Co-director and producer, with Susan Muska, of award-winning independent documentaries, including The Brandon Teena Story, nominated for an Emmy for Excellence in Investigative Journalism, and Edie & Thea: A Very Long Engagement, winner of 26 awards and nominated for a GLAAD Award. Co-producer of La Chana, a Spanish documentary nominated for a European Film Award. Her latest work, Full Steam Ahead, about women in science and technology, was released in February 2026. She is currently in production on Aftermath, a follow-up to The Brandon Teena Story twenty years later, and is producing Ukulellur, a documentary about an all-female queer band in Iceland. Both films are scheduled for release in 2027. She served as a documentary consultant at the Icelandic Film Centre until 2023. In fall 2024, she became a board member of Iceland’s first film authors’ fund. She is a frequent guest speaker at universities and serves on panels and festival juries.

Marco Orsini is a writer, director, producer, and mentor working across filmmaking and international talent development. After producing over 60 hours of U.S. primetime television, he shifted his focus to independent, director-led cinema. He leads the International Emerging Film Talent Fund (IEFTF), an Athens-based philanthropic organization dedicated to strengthening film ecosystems across the Global South, with a particular focus on supporting displaced and at-risk filmmakers. The fund builds on the legacy of IEFTA, which he co-founded in 2006 and led for nearly two decades. Alongside this work, he remains an active producer through MoJo Entertainment, with recent co-productions including God’s Work (dir. Michael James), Laundry (dir. Zamo Mkhwanazi), and Pour the Water Before You Leave (dir. Daniella Repas). His work has screened internationally and has been covered by The Hollywood Reporter, The Guardian, and Variety.