Make the most of the annual sci-fi, movie and comic-themed extravaganza, the Middle East Film and Comic Con (MEFCC) – now at a bigger venue in Dubai World Trade Centre to accommodate its growing legion of fans – with these handy highlights.
Dress for success
MEFCC is always popular with the region’s cosplay fans. For the uninitiated, cosplay is short for costume play, and, quite simply, participants dress up as their favourite comic-book or movie character, often with an element of role play. Even if you’re not in the mood for dressing up as Lara Croft this weekend, it’s a great spectator sport.
Among last year’s winners was a group portraying most of the cast of the Star Wars series, and there’s no reason to assume fans will make any less effort this year. Entries for this year’s competition have already closed, but if you’re curious, head to the main stage from 5.30pm on Friday to check out this year’s entrants and also see what the judges have turned up in, since they include the Australian cosplay presenter and model Madeleine Rose, the Japanese professional cosplayer Tadaaki “Jacky” Dosai and the American cosplay queen Yaya Han.
Celebrity guests
The list of celebrities at MEFCC gets better every year. The Chronicle writer Max Landis is a long-time MEFCC supporter and will be returning this year for a talk (Friday at 6pm). He'll be joined by the actor/writer/director/producer/comedian Seth Green (Saturday at 3pm); the former Doctor Who Sylvester McCoy (Saturday at 4.45pm); the martial arts big kickers Tony Jaa and Michael Jai White (Friday at 4.45pm); and this year's biggest coup: the Marvel linchpin and all-around comics legend Stan Lee, who will be holding a live video Q&A (Saturday at 7.45pm).
Learn from the best
MEFCC's guests aren't just on-screen celebrities. Workshops and panels bring some of the finest talents from the creative industries to share their knowledge, too. Highlights this year include David Lloyd, the co-creator and illustrator of V for Vendetta. The United Kingdom's Aardman Animations team (Sean the Sheep, Wallace and Gromit) will be holding daily workshops on clay-model animation. Andrew Ainsworth, the creator of the iconic stormtrooper uniforms from Star Wars, will be giving a workshop on prop design (Friday at 7pm). The voice actor Christopher Sabat will be giving tips on how to make it in the voice-acting world (Saturday at 5pm) – and that barely scratches the surface. Budding comic book writers could even be spotted by Marvel's VP of creator and content development, C B Cebulski, who will be at the event looking for new talent.
Own a piece of art
This year’s MEFCC gives you the opportunity to own a genuine Damien Hirst, thanks to the second global outing for the Art Wars exhibition. Art Wars has already seen its collection of decorated stormtrooper helmets displayed in The Dubai Mall in March, and now the helmets will be on show once more at MEFCC before being auctioned off for charity on the main stage (Saturday at 5.45pm). If the Hirst is out of your price range, don’t worry – 20 local artists also have their helmets in the exhibition, and they should be a bit easier on the wallet.
Shop till you drop
Everyone who comes to Dubai loves to shop, and the crowds at MEFCC are no different. Collectable comics, original artwork, and comic and movie memorabilia are all on sale, with around 200 exhibitors across the Show Floor, Shop and Ship Comics Village, Manga Town and Dubai Culture Artists’ Alley. What’s more, because this is Comic Con, there’s a host of artists and writers attending, from global names to budding local talents, so your chances of getting a rare signed edition or a quick chat with your favourite author are better than anywhere else.
Local interest
It's not just global celebrities at MEFCC. Emirati talent at this year's event includes the director and animator Mohammad Fikree screening his latest short Girl and It, the Gold Ring series creator Qais Sedki, the Foo Dog inventor Mo Abedin and the artists Jalal Luqman and Sumayyah Al Suwaidi. Further UAE-based talent includes the director and animator Ashraf Ghori from Xpanse CGI and the Hashmic Films founder Faisal Hashmi. While there's sure to be plenty of buzz around the global debut of Jabal Entertainment's new Blades of Hope comic series — the publisher Sohaib Awan is an MEFCC regular who launched Jinnrise at last year's show.
Crowdfund live
Join the creative photographer Martin Beck in his studio at the Aflamnah stand for a unique live crowdfunding project. Have your portrait taken, with superhero outfit or without, donate to his campaign, and your photo could end up in the exhibition he’s raising money for. Beck says: “The subject matter is those folk who didn’t quite make the grade at superhero school and are living their lives doing the day-to-day chores while providing for their loved ones. Each of us in our own way can be heroes and we all have the potential to help others. At the end of the project my aim is to have an exhibition and hopefully auction off the first edition of each print. The money we raise will be donated to a charitable cause.”
Visit www.aflamnah.com/en/ we-can-be-heroes/ for more.
• Tickets are available at Virgin Megastores and Time Out Tickets. Dh85 for one-day passes, Dh160 for weekend passes, Dh500 for VIP passes. Workshops are inclusive. Visit www.mefcc.com
[ cnewbould@thenational.ae ]
