SAC builds bridge linking global publishers and animation industry

November 04, 2025 / 12:34 PM

Sharjah24: In a strategic move to fuse the worlds of publishing and animation, the Sharjah Animation Conference (SAC) participated at the 15th International Publishers Conference this week. Drawing attention among the 1,300 publishing professionals from 116 countries in attendance, the SAC engaging booth served to promote the annual animation conference as well as identify and develop new animation opportunities for publishers’ titles.

Facilitating international exchange

SAC’s participation, designed to encourage collaboration, aimed to show publishers how their stories can be transformed into animation projects, encourage the sale of book rights to animation studios, and build a database of interested publishers for future opportunities. This initiative is further supported by SAC’s facilitation of an international exchange, including hosting a Japanese delegation of publishers and animation studios to meet with their Arab and international counterparts.

The booth itself served as a mini-hub of innovation, showcasing the practical tools that bring stories to life in new mediums including tablets and virtual reality; in collaboration with SAC’s valued partner Wacom, a hardware manufacturer for illustrators and animators. Alongside it, VRwareEdu’s “Story Builder” offered an interactive glimpse into the future of storytelling. This metaverse-based solution allows users to create and experience their own digital storybooks, combining images, adding stickers and speech bubbles, and recording their own voice; a vivid demonstration of how classic tales can be reimagined for digital-native audiences.

Commenting on their participation, Khoula Al Mujaini, Executive Director of Sharjah Animation Conference stated: “The engagement has been exceptionally positive and we have had many publishers enquire for more information and sign up for participation at the next SAC taking place in 2026,” highlighting a growing interest from the literary world in cross-media adaptation. “By engaging directly with publishers and industry leaders, we are expanding the dialogue around adaptation, innovation, and intellectual property; and this presence reflects SAC’s broader mission to position Sharjah as a global hub for cross-sector partnerships that support emerging talent and sustainable growth within the global creative economy,” Al Mujaini concluded.

Bolstering the creative ecosystem

This outreach builds upon the monumental success of the Sharjah Animation Conference 2025, which welcomed over 5,000 attendees and featured a rich agenda led by 74 international experts. That event spotlighted global storytelling, the role of AI, and the cultural impact of animation, all while emphasising the need to nurture a sustainable creative ecosystem in the MENA region and Africa.

By embedding itself within the Sharjah International Publishers Conference, SAC is actively constructing a creative pipeline with the global publishing industry; and positions itself as a platform where books can begin their journey to becoming the animated series and films of tomorrow.