2025 PLURAL+ International Jury

Adelle Onyango

Kenya 🇰🇪
Media Entrepreneur, Producer

Adelle Onyango is a Kenyan media entrepreneur, poet, published author, and women’s rights activist renowned for empowering African women and youth. She has earned widespread recognition, including being named one of the 50 Most Influential Women Shaping Africa in 2025 by Africa Policy Conversations (a youth-led African think tank); Top 100 Kenyans in 2023; MIPAD’s Top 100 Africans in 2020; Facebook’s Icons of Change in 2019 and Africa Youth Awards’ 100 Most Influential Young Africans in 2019.

With over a decade in radio, Adelle began her career at 1FM and later joined Kenya’s leading media house, Radio Africa Group, as a presenter and producer at KissFM. In 2019, she left the mainstream media to establish Legally Clueless Africa, a dynamic digital platform sharing African stories through its podcast, video series, and tour series. The platform also promotes well-being through wellness talks and group therapy sessions, reinforcing her commitment to healing and representation.

Carlos Smith Rovira

Colombia 🇨🇴
Director, Producer, Entrepreneur

Carlos Smith Rovira is a director, producer, and entrepreneur with more than 30 years of experience in animation. Since 1993, he has worked in the industry while also teaching at several institutions, including Universidad Nacional, Javeriana, Universidad de los Andes, and Universidad de Caldas. He also served for eight years as professor and academic coordinator of the Masters in Animation programme at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona. He is currently the Academic Director of the School of Digital Animation at LCI Veritas University in Costa Rica.

With his studio, Hierroanimación, he is currently producing the animated feature film Por un Plato de Sopa. His work has been widely recognized at international festivals such as Annecy, Hiroshima, Anima Mundi, Japan Prize, Prix Jeunesse, Oberhausen, INPUT, Quirino, and Chilemonos. One of his most acclaimed projects is the animated series Cuentos de Viejos, which was awarded Best Transmedia Project at MIFA Annecy 2011.

Desire Lacap

United States of America 🇺🇸
Filmmaker, Editor

Desire Lacap is a Filipino-American filmmaker, content creator, and visionary storyteller with a background in cinematography and editing. Desire weaves powerful visuals that blend emotion and culture while celebrating vulnerability. Through educational content, film collaborations, and passion projects, she empowers others to find their voice, embrace their imperfections, and create from a place of truth. Desire began her career in 2019 as a visual storyteller for NBA champions Golden State Warriors.

She has since worked as a Director of Photography and Director on narrative films, documentaries, commercials, and music videos. Her production approach includes the use of detailed shot lists, storyboards, and advanced camera and editing technologies. Since 2022, she has built a global online following, providing filmmaking tutorials and creative insights while also addressing mental health and wellness topics. She collaborates closely with filmmakers to align visual storytelling with project goals and audience impact.

Sam Lahoud

Lebanon 🇱🇧
Filmmaker, Scriptwriter, Educator

Sam Lahoud is a Lebanese scriptwriter, director, producer, script consultant, and academic, whose multifaceted career in film, theater, and media spans over three decades. He is the founder of the Beirut Film Society and a leading advocate for a “Film Friendly Lebanon,” promoting initiatives like the Lebanese Film Commission and the National Fund for Film and Theater. His acclaimed works include “Void,”, Lebanon’s 2015 Academy Awards submission, and “C-Section,”, shortlisted for the 2020 Golden Globes. Lahoud has been celebrated at Cannes by Arab Cinema Center Magazine as one of the 101 most influential Arab cinema figures (2018–2022).

He founded prominent festivals, such as the Beirut International Women Film Festival, Beirut Shorts (Oscars Qualifier), and diaspora-focused Lebanese Film Festivals worldwide. Academically, he lectures at Notre Dame University and also serves on advisory boards and curates the HFPA Scholarship for MENA, promoting youth, women’s empowerment, and human rights through film.

Sixtine Crutchfield

Switzerland 🇨🇭
Art Professional, NFT Specialist

Sixtine Crutchfield is an experienced art professional and NFT specialist currently serving as the NFT Art Director at WISe.ART, where she oversees artistic strategy and curatorial development. With a background in communications and fine arts from the University of Denver, she brings over 20 years of expertise in the global art market. Her career includes leadership roles at the Jan Krugier Gallery and Art Culture Studio, as well as experience in banking and education. She notably launched the MBA in Art Management at the Geneva Business School.

Sixtine spent the majority of the 1990s living and working for the Australia Council and Brown’s Mart Community Arts in Darwin, NT, where she was responsible for cultural projects with Aboriginal Affairs and the development of the arts among local and Aboriginal communities. Her work bridges digital innovation and traditional art, fostering new dialogues in the evolving art ecosystem.

Zig Dulay

Philippines 🇵🇭
Filmmaker, Screenwriter, Director

Zig Dulay, recipient of The Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) of 2024 Award for Film and TV, is a visionary Filipino filmmaker known for regional cinema that boldly confronts socio-political and cultural issues. Deeply committed to advocacy, he uses storytelling to amplify marginalized voices and drive social change. A protégé of Armando Lao’s Found Story Philosophy, Dulay began his career as a screenwriter for acclaimed films such as Ekstra (The Bit Player), Posas (Shackled), and Kasa (The Commitment).

As a director, his powerful works, including Missing, M., Bambanti, and Bagahe, have earned national and international acclaim. His short film Black Rainbow won Best Short at Cinemalaya, while Firefly and Green Bones received top awards at the Metro Manila Film Festival in 2023 and 2024. In 2024, he was named one of Tatler Asia’s Gen.T Leaders of Tomorrow in recognition of his ongoing impact as a filmmaker, artist, and champion of social justice and cultural representation across Asia.