MECFilmFestival 2024 Jury

Pura Fernández, Deputy Vice-President of Scientific Culture and Citizen Science and Editorial Director at the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC).

Doctorate from the Autonomous University of Madrid, Pura Fernández is a Research Professor at the Institute of Language, Literature, and Anthropology of the Center for Humanities and Social Sciences of the CSIC, where she was deputy director between 2010 and 2012 and head of the Spanish Literature Department between 2002 and 2006.

She is a member of the Advisory and Editorial Board of 27 prestigious scientific-academic publications and collections in Spain, France, the USA, Argentina, and Mexico. She is the founder and director of the open access portal EDI-RED. She has given lectures and seminars at universities and research centers in Europe, America, and Africa and has been distinguished as a Visiting Professor at Columbia University and New York University (NYU).

Ignacio Elguero, Director of Education, Diversity, Culture, and International Affairs at RTVE.

Graduated in Information Sciences from the Complutense University of Madrid,
he has been linked to RNE for 24 years, where he has served as director since July 2020 to the present, Program Director (2013-2018), Director of Radio 1 (2010-2013), and head of culture in Programs (2008-2010).

He has directed the program La estación azul and has been deputy director in programs such as Lo que es la vida, El ombligo de la luna, El último gato, y Hoy es posible on TVE.

His contribution to the promotion of culture from RNE has earned him awards such as the 2002 Ondas Award, 2010 International Ondas Award, 2011 National Award for Promotion of Reading, and the 2012 Award for Promotion of Reading by the Spanish Publishers’ Guild.

As a writer, he has published a dozen books, including poetry, novels, and essays.

Cruz Sánchez De Lara, Vice-President of the newspaper El Español, where she is also the editor of the sections Enclave ODS and MagasIN.

Renowned lawyer and activist in human rights and sustainability, she founded the NGO THRibune for Human Rights in 2011 and is a trustee of the Ortega Marañón Foundation. She holds a Master’s degree in International Human Rights Law and Humanitarian Law from American University in Washington.

She is the Director for Europe of IHR Legal, a global law firm based in Washington and Geneva; principal partner at Sánchez de Lara Abogados and partner of the Exaequo Group. She was Executive Advisor to UNODC for East Africa during 2019 and 2020.

Chosen by Forbes magazine as one of the 25 most influential people in Spain in 2020 and named one of the Top 100 Women Leaders in Spain for three years, she has written successful novels such as En la Corte de la Zarina, Maldito Hamor and Cazar leones en Escocia.

Nacho Guadix García, Head of Education and Children’s Digital Rights at UNICEF Spain.

Graduated in Pedagogy from the Complutense University of Madrid, and with a
postgraduate degree in Human Resources Management and Planning from the Open University of Catalonia (UOC).

He actively collaborates with educational administrations, teaching centers, and research institutions in developing policies to promote children’s rights.

Karoline Fernández de la Hoz Zeitler, Director of the Spanish Observatory on Racism and Xenophobia (OBERAXE).

Doctor of Medicine from the University of Barcelona and epidemiologist from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine; she holds diplomas in Pharmacoeconomics, Public Health, Epidemiology, and Statistics.

She has worked at the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and in various positions in the national and regional administrations.

She represents Spain at the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the Council of Europe’s Intercultural Integration Experts Group; the European Network of Integration, and the High-Level Groups of the European Commission on Hate Crimes and Hate Speech and NAPAR.

Leticia de Frutos Sastre, Advisory Member in the Cabinet of the Secretary of State of the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training, and Sports.

She holds a doctorate in Art History and is part of the Corps of Museum Curators. Among other positions of responsibility, Leticia de Frutos has been an advisory member in the General Directorate of Educational Planning and Management of the Ministry of Education, Deputy Director General of International Cooperation and External Educational Promotion of the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training, and Sports, and Deputy Director General of Music and Dance at the National Institute of Performing Arts and Music (INAEM).

She is the author of the book El Templo de la Fama: alegoría del Marqués del Carpio as well as numerous articles in scientific journals and presentations at international conferences.

Javier Castán Lanaspa, Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters and Doctor of Art History at the University of Valladolid (UVA).

Associate Professor of Ancient and Medieval Art History, elected member of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of the Purísima Concepción, director of the Postgraduate Course in Film Specialization, and coordinator of the Learning to Watch Films courses at the University of Valladolid.

He currently also directs the Chair of Cinematography History and Aesthetics at the University of Valladolid.