Supported by the Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation, ADMAF, the Middle East Film and ComicCon is presenting a day-long series of events for schools on the fair's first day, April 9th. Entitled ‘ADMAF Schools Day – The Next Generation', a range of workshops, panels and meetings with local artists and international guests will allow young visitors the chance to boost their creativity and learn about various disciplines across the fields of pop culture and entertainment, including illustration, creative writing, filmmaking, and animation, among others.
The ComicCon, taking place this weekend at the Dubai World Trade Centre, is a pop culture festival and consumer exhibition focused on building the local entertainment industry and providing a consistent platform for regional talent. There will be over 50 international guests in attendance including well known celebrities, artists, composers and more.
In addition, ADMAF is set to welcome visitors to its own pavilion located at Stand 37A. ADMAF will host a panel discussion at The Workshop Space at 11:15am on April 9th with Emirati comic artists featuring the 2014 ADMAF Comic Arts Award winner, Fatma Al Muhairi, and runners-up Hamda Al Nimr and Maryam Al Muhairi. The discussion will give young visitors the chance to ask questions and learn more about the speakers' creative journeys, techniques and sources of inspiration.
Throughout the duration of MEFCC 2015, ADMAF will be encouraging budding Emirati comic artists aged 18 to 35 years to register their interest in the 2016 ADMAF Comic Arts Award. Established in 2014, the Award celebrates the role comics can play as a creative and cultural tool. Last year's award went to Fatima Al Muhairi, a graduate of Abu Dhabi's Cartoon Network Animation Academy, for ‘Mary and Me,' a comic strip that explores a young girl's relationship with her mother, father and nanny.
The biennial ADMAF Comic Arts Award is a part of ADMAF's Rewarding Excellence programme, which celebrates outstanding creative achievement by students and recent graduates across several art forms. The winner receives an all-expenses paid overseas trip to attend an animation training course, plus a chance to exhibit their work at next year's Middle East Film and ComicCon, as well as a WACOM Cintiq 13HD tablet.
Submissions are welcomed in a variety of formats including long form, such as graphic novels, short form, including stand-alone work, digital media, including web comics and online comic strips, comic strips featuring four or more panels, single image featuring a self-contained narrative image and moving image utilising motion graphics and animation.
Source: WAM