MEFCC Middle East Film and Comic Con returned for it's fourth consecutive year to Dubai on April 9, for three days. With a huge outdoors arena space that has grown tremendously which included more games, a danger zone for wall climbers posing as stuntmen and other channels of entertainment including live performances by local bands. MEFCC is a large-scale consumer event for fans of comics, film, gaming entertainment and pop culture in the Middle East. Live gaming brought back all the geeks to life in the gaming zone. Film, Anime, Comics and Games had a new category for Marvel. Visitors dressed up as their favorite characters from Star Wars, Game of Thrones and Marvel comic heroes to win the best-dressed prizes. William Shatner, Star Trek's original Captain James T Kirk and X files star Gillian Anderson were a few celebrities to visit Comic Con this year. Competitions gave away pop culture prizes during Geeky Quiz, Karaoke and Cosplay Parade. Image Comics' artist Tula Lotay and Andy Suriano from IDW and Marvel's Mahmud Asrar and Charles Soule were also present at shop and shop comics. Renovada Manga Town merchandise, artists and many workshops on animation, gaming development, sketching and others were also open to public. Gamezone held tournaments and cash prizes, but the best game by far was live Pacman. Emirati-produced ‘Aerials', which claims to be the first Arab feature-length sci-fi film was also premiered during MEFCC along with local filmmaker Faisal Hashmi's ‘Sleight'. MEFCC is the region's largest pop cultural festival, that is home to comic fans, film enthusiasts, celebrities, artists, exhibitors and musicians from across the world. World Art Dubai A new addition to Dubai's inspiring lifestyle brought together local and international artists to World Trade Center from April 8-11. This aspect of making art accessible by keeping gates open to public with a mixture of art mediums helped create curiosity and an intimate experience. The fair hosted 100 galleries and artists from 25 countries. Live graffiti, street art, music and dance performances took place outside the gallery doors. World Art Dubai hosted an affordable collection of several artworks including a mix of paintings, sculptures, photography, mixed media and prints. World Art Dubai vouches to be the only one to cater for all art lovers, buyers and collectors. Some of the famous exhibitors included TNK Art Gallery, Villa Del Arte Galleries, Letitia Gallery, Emmanuel Fremin, Biken International and many more. “World Art Dubai represents an entirely new proposition for the region and, as a concept, will support the universal principle that art is for everyone,” said Trixie LohMirmand, Senior Vice President, Exhibitions & Events Management, DWTC. “There is a notable gap in the regional for an affordable art fair which caters to a growing domestic demand for affordable art among new collectors and young, savvy investors. We're aiming to collect a like-minded community of global art to engage with local audiences and help develop the talent of a new and economically-vertical art-buying and art-producing public. By appealing to a wide community of potential art lovers, World Art Dubai will help emerging artists develop dedicated followings, empower up-and-coming art buyers, build a new demographic of specialist, lifelong collectors, and further diversify Dubai's ever-expanding arts scene. This event is an exciting asset in Dubai's development of a sustainable arts and cultural infrastructure,” LohMirmand added. Fashion Forward The fifth edition of Fashion Forward attracted 25 fashion regional and international industry icons from across the GCC. On its closing day on April 13, Fashion Forward and d3 hosted a networking event at Dubai's new Design District. A public program including talks, panels and workshops were a major and consistent part of Fashion Forward this year. A host of local designers from UAE, Lebanon, Morocco, Egypt and Kuwait also showcased their works during Fashion Forward. Some of the known and familiar names to hit the runway were The Emperor brothers, Zareena, Aiisha Ramadan, Dima Ayad, Hussein Bazaza, Madiyah AlSharqi, Amber Feroz, Ezra, Amato and House of Nomad. Ahmed El-Sayed and Saleh Al-Banna – the co-founders of House of Nomad definitely made an impact and are here to win. Dubai has become the Middle East's fashion capital and a preferred destination for shoppers as it aims to host over 180 million visitors annually in the coming future.
