| Middle East Film & Comic Con | |
| Status: | Active |
| Genre: | Speculative fiction |
| Venue: | Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company |
| Location: | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates |
| Country: | United Arab Emirates |
| Organizer: | Informa Connect[1] |
| Filing: | For-profit |
| Attendance: | 38,000 visitors in 2024 |
| Website: | Middle East Film & Comic Con |
The Middle East Film & Comic Con (commonly referred to as MEFCC) is a speculative fiction convention held annually in the United Arab Emirates.
Inaugurated in 2012, it is the first & largest pop culture convention in the Middle East.[2] In the first few years, MEFCC was held at the World Trade Centre and other venues across Dubai, moving to Abu Dhabi for its most recent editions in 2022 and 2023.[3] In March 2023, it was announced that the twelfth edition of the MEFCC would be held in February 2024.[4]
The convention was founded in April 2012 by the Dubai-based events management and communications agency ExtraCake PRA and T he Alliance . In 2018, Informa. took over operations of the event.[5] The 2022 and 2023 editions were held by Informa with the support of the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi.[6]
The 2024 edition of MEFCC saw record-breaking numbers, with over 38,000 visitors attending the three-day festival[7] held at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC).
Focusing on comic books, science fiction, fantasy, film and television in the initial years, MEFCC has expanded over the years to include more niches within popular arts and culture including animation, anime, manga, video games, webcomics and fantasy fiction. Toys, merchandise and collectibles are also a key attraction at the convention.
MEFCC features activities for different interests and age groups. These include the Creative Academy which has comics, art and craft workshops, and Cine Club , which screens movies and Meet the Stars which offers fans the opportunity to meet celebrities and take photographs or autographs with them.[8] Also at the event is Cosplay Central, a zone exclusively for cosplayers. MEFCC hosts a popular Cosplay Competition where participants dress up as their favorite characters and perform for a large crowd.[9] The festival houses the Artist Alley,[10] which gives up-and-coming local artists a platform to display and sell their pop culture creations. In addition, the International Artist Alley showcases global creators who have played an influential role in the world of comics, manga and the arts through their specialized skills in sketching, animation, editing, storytelling, fan art and animation.
MEFCC also has a dedicated Gaming Arena which has held tournaments ranging from PUBG, FIFA, CS:GO, Valorant, Fortnite and Tekken. In 2022, a prize money pool of approximately AED 30,000 was available to contestants.[11]
Other facilities at the venue include the Festival Plaza, an entertainment and relaxation zone with food trucks, where fans can enjoy music and dance performances, and other forms of entertainment.
Since inception, MEFCC has hosted many stars from popular film and television franchises including Jason Momoa, Hayden Christensen, Andy Serkis, Zachery Levi, David Harbour, Matt Smith, Karl Urban, Giancarlo Esposito, Charlie Cox, Anthony Mackie, Nathalie Emmanuel, Michael Rooker & May Calamawy. A more detailed list of celebrity guests is included in the table below.
| width=10% | Dates | Convention Name | width=18% | Location | Guests | width=18% | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 20–21, 2012 | Middle East Film and Comic Con | ||||||
| April 5–6, 2013 | Middle East Film and Comic Con | over 20,000 fans from across the region in attendance [12] | |||||
| April 3–5, 2014 | Middle East Film and Comic Con | ||||||
| April 9–11, 2015 | Middle East Film and Comic Con | an attendance of over 50,000 | |||||
| April 6–8, 2016 | Middle East Film and Comic Con | ||||||
| April 6–8, 2017 | Middle East Film and Comic Con | Anthony Mackie, Liam Cunningham, Josh McDermitt, Greg Grunberg, Chad Hardin, Nicole Marie Jean, Linda Le, Kevin Smith, Kane, Faisal Al Hashmi, Mustafa Abbas, Reshel Shah Kapoor | |||||
| April 5–7, 2018 | Middle East Film and Comic Con | ||||||
| April 11–13, 2019 | Middle East Film and Comic Con | Zachary Levi, Benedict Wong, Tara Strong, Iwan Rheon, Katie Cassidy, Ross Marquand, William Simpson, David Finch, Mitsuhiro Arita, Sana Takeda, Simon Bisley, David Angelo Roman, James Mulligan, Simone Di Meo, Kai Green, Alodia Gosiengfiao, Cavin Lam | |||||
| March 5–7, 2020 | Middle East Film and Comic Con | Dubai International Exhibition and Conference Centre building, Dubai World Trade Centre | Mena Massoud, Brandon Routh, Elodie Yung, John Rhys Davies, Joseph David Jones, Sam De La Rosa, Philo Barnhart, Mostafa Moussa, Jeremy Clark, Michael Watkins, Rags Morales, Rodney Ramos, Georges Janty, Emanuela Lupacchino, Rei Suzuki Cosplay, Kaoru Lily Cosplay | ||||
| March 4–6, 2022 | Middle East Film and Comic Con | Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, Abu Dhabi | Charlie Cox, Barry Keoghan, Michael Rooker, Nathalie Emmanuel, Ming Na Wen, Kevin Conroy, Sean Schemmel, Charles Martinet, Hirokatsu Kihara, Rob Liefeld, Rob Paulsen, Townsend Coleman, Cam Clarke, David Nakayama, Mark Brooks, Reilly Brown, Creees Lee, Leon Chiro, Sakura Flor, Majed Cosplay | First time the event is in Abu Dhabi | |||
| March 3 – 5, 2023 | Middle East Film and Comic Con | Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, Abu Dhabi | Zach Aguilar, Jamie Campbell Bower, May Calamawy, Greg Capullo, Hayden Christensen, Anthony Daniels, David Harbour, Hirokatsu Kihara, Ken Lashley, James C. Mulligan, Paige O'Hara, Ryan Ottley, Mike Peraza, Patty Peraza, Reika, David Angelo Roman, Christopher Sabat, Andy Serkis, Matt Smith, and Long Vo | Attendance of over 35,000 |