(L-R) Max Landis, Ali Mostafa and Greg White on a panel about film making, moderated by Sohaib Awan.

Written by Reem Shaddad, Digital, DFI

“Mum! Dad! They’ve agreed to screen the ‘Cosmic Phoenix’ trailers at comic con!”

Blank stares…

Welcome to my life. Being a lover of fantasy, science fiction and anything as far removed from reality as possible, I often find myself staring back at similar blank expressions when discussing the eternal question of whether Starbuck really was a cylon, or whether ‘Firefly’ really was the best move of Joss Whedon’s career. Growing up in Doha, I recall a very small group of us heading out to catch ‘The Two Towers’ on the big screen. Amidst inappropriate bursts of laughter and whisperings of, “My precious…” there I was, hanging on to every bass-dripped stomp of the Orc army’s blood-drenched feet, and feeding off the courage and loyalty of that endearing Samwise Gamgee.

I only ever discovered there were people as lost in their own fantasy world as myself when I left the Middle East and made the trip to the land down under for tertiary studies. Now, if you’re familiar with Australians, you are then fully aware of their fascination… nay, obsession, with everything 70s and 80s. Said obsession has resulted in the recognition of the Australian B-movie movement as one of the most noted in the sci-fi, horror/slasher and action genres… ‘The Cars that Ate Paris’ comes highly recommended.

It was in that period of total fiction-based abandon that I first came across the international San Diego Comic-con, and, OH MY GOODNESS, did I want to go. However, student budgets can prove a wet towel to geek-based travel desires therefore I never did make that trip across the Pacific. Fast forward six years later, and there I was, hanging out with the cream of the comic-con crop, costume designer and cosplayer extraordinaire, Holly Conrad, star of Morgan Spurlock’s ‘Comic-con Episode IV: A Fan’s Hope.’ Not at the Comic Con of San Diego but at a Gulf-based film festival, right here at Doha Tribeca.

Working with the Doha Film Institute (DFI) has opened my eyes to a world of sci-fi, fantasy and general comic-con-genre minded folk in the region, some embracing the existing, rich world of graphic novels, manga (Japanese comics/cartoons) & comic collectors, whilst others toil to fulfill the niche for Arab-based characters and products. Let’s not forget that Arab mythology made its mark on the earliest of Western depictions of fantasy, from Disney’s Aladdin to the Westernized depiction of ghouls in ‘Night of the Living Dead.’ And so there it was, only months after Spurlock’s stellar documentary feasted its slime-covered paws on the coveted Audience Choice Award at the Doha Tribeca Film Festival, the the first ever Middle East Film and Comic Con (MEFCC)

There was no way on Zeus’s given earth that I wasn’t going to make it out there. However – and equally as exciting as my Levantine comic-con dreams come true – there was an opportunity to be had. Working alongside sci-fi connoisseur and Doha Film Institute’s mythology workshop head chef, Ben Robinson, I had recently begun working on the transmedia production for the first Arab, musical, sci-fi, comedy (yes, it’s all of those things) ‘Topaz Duo: Cosmic Phoenix.’ The film, written initially in collaboration with Qatari (and intergalactic) magician of words Ms. Sophia Al-Maria, was welcomed with open arms at the MEFCC, where we screened the first two trailers which preceded films such as ‘Star Trek’ and ‘The Matrix.’ One day, I pray to the Gods of the colonies, there will be a premiere of the film at a future MEFCC.

MEFCC succeeded in bringing light to the regional legends, those who have had their successes in the genre, and those aspiring to make serious moves in the sci-fi/comic-inspired genre and film/graphic novel industries. From young Emirati artists, Poly Line, to evolving CGI animation studios, like Xpanse, Arab cartoon heroes, such as the voice of ‘Grendizer’ Jihad Al-Atrash and the leaders in the comic/cartoon fields, Dr. Naif Al Mutawa with his ‘99’ and DFI Marasy ambassador, Mohammad Saeed Harib and his charming ‘Freej’, MEFCC was a resounding success in its goal to give lovers of science fiction, fantasy, comics and everything else comic-con encompasses, a regional safe-haven.

'Freej'!

Amidst the legions of superhero clad fans, cosplaying djinns, genies and Narutos, I found myself the most comfortable I had been since arriving back in the Gulf. Although competitive, and at times, intense in their tributes, the people of comic-con, those dreamers and innovative thinkers, are some of the most inspiring I have ever met. It is true that fantasy can be perceived as escapism, and it is, but it is not escaping from the world. Rather, it is escaping to a place only your imagination can define. What is even more significant, is the tradition of storytelling in the Arab world, and our love of those olden folk tales and myths from past generations. With initiatives such as MEFCC, supportive arenas such as DFI’s mythology lab and the continuous birth of genre films, such as ‘Topaz Duo: Cosmic Phoenix’ and Qatari zombie flick ‘Lockdown,’ the world will slowly begin to recognize the true origin of this beautiful subculture. And as the saying goes, “Luke, habibi, I am your father,”… just kidding! Live long and comic-con, friends.