Sharjah is Hosting Its First-Ever Animation Conference This May

From May 3rd to the 5th, Sharjah is set to host its first event dedicated to animation, featuring some of the most forward-thinking artists, leaders and Oscar winners in the industry.

The inaugural edition of the Sharjah Animation Conference (SAC) will invite fans, budding animators and up-and-coming figures in the industry to attend workshops, masterclasses and film screenings, as well as networking events with publishers and producers. The conference will be part of the 14th annual Sharjah Children's Reading Festival, which will run between May 3rd and May 14th.

The SAC will see the likes of John Nevarez, the film story artist behind Disney's Oscar-winning 'Coco', Takahiro Yoshimatsu, animator and director of Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z, and Sandro Cleuzo, animator and character designer of Mary Poppins Returns.

The United Arab Emirates is seeing a growing interest in animation; the annual Middle East Film and Comic Con saw over 35,000 visitors at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre. Meanwhile, MBC Group announced that they're launching a new hub to license, commision and produce anime content in the region.