After four days of animation, comics, live performances, industry conversations and creative exchange, the fourth Sharjah Animation and Comics Conference (SACC 2026) closed at Aljada in Sharjah, attracting 8,075 visitors and 70 speakers from 30 countries.

Featuring more than 150 activities, the expanded edition brought animation and comics together under the SACC platform for the first time, creating a meeting point for celebrated international artists and industry professionals, emerging regional talent, publishers, producers, studios and audiences. Across four days, visitors moved between professional discussions, workshops and masterclasses, exhibitions, live drawing, and gaming experiences, film screenings and orchestral performances.

For emerging creators, SACC provided opportunities to learn directly from established industry professionals, present work to potential partners and explore pathways into project development, production and international distribution, while creating connections designed to continue beyond the four days of the conference.

Alongside its public programme, SACC 2026 placed increased emphasis on the business of animation and comics, with discussions examining intellectual property rights, financing, co-production, distribution and access to international markets.

The Comics section of SACC featured participation of major exhibitors such as: Comicave, Fomo Books, Sandstorms Comics and other vendors where they featured various collectables, comics and other valuable items that attracted many visitors to get at the event. Also, the event featured a special artist alley area where various artists and small business owners featured and selling their creative works and crafts to the attendees of the event.

The expanded Animation and Comics Business Area brought creators together with studio representatives, producers, publishers and potential partners to present projects, hold professional meetings and explore opportunities for collaboration and co-production.

The Book2Screen Challenge further connected publishing with visual storytelling, giving publishers an opportunity to explore how literary works could be developed into screen productions.

Together, the initiatives reinforced SACC's role not only as a place to experience animation and comics, but as a platform where creative ideas can meet the expertise, partnerships and commercial opportunities needed to move forward.

Across the four-day programme, leading directors, illustrators, producers and visual storytelling specialists shared experience gained from internationally recognized films, television productions, comics and games.

Discussions ranged from character design, visual storytelling and animation techniques to artificial intelligence and digital production tools. Other sessions explored the future of animation in the Arab region and Africa, the challenges facing independent studios, international co-production and the growing role of women across creative and leadership positions.

More than 55 workshops and professional masterclasses offered hands-on training in illustration, animation, character design, comics creation and voice acting, giving aspiring creators direct exposure to professional techniques and production practices including Shuzo Shiota, CEO of Japan’s Polygon Pictures where he traced the studio’s journey from writing its own 3D software in the 1980s to global productions, interactive cinema and a workforce of 450 artists across three countries.

Along the way came a penguin character that generated millions in merchandise, a feature film that consumed $30 million and produced just three finished minutes, and a factory-management philosophy that helped rescue the company from another financial squeeze.

Also, Pakistani Director Usman Riaz shared the story behind his movie "The Glassworker” that spanned over a decade, a journey started from passion to representing a nation at the Oscars.

That exchange between established professionals and emerging talent was a recurring feature of the conference, with students and young creators able to ask questions, show their work, receive advice and make contacts across different areas of the international creative industry.

Beyond its professional programme, SACC 2026 transformed Aljada into a space for audiences to experience animation and comics in multiple forms.

The Princesses and Heroes exhibition presented more than 100 original and historic drawings of characters from some of Disney's best-known animated films, while Arabesque featured works by 14 artists drawing inspiration from Arab heritage and folklore.

At the Dubbing Corner, visitors stepped behind the microphone to try their hand at voice acting, while live drawing demonstrations, comic displays, and spaces dedicated to independent artists gave audiences opportunities to engage directly with creators and their work.

Gaming experiences and esports competitions added another dimension to the programme, while film screenings introduced audiences to different approaches to animation and filmmaking.

Music also became a central part of the SACC experience. Italy's Florence Pops Orchestra performed throughout the conference, bringing orchestral interpretations of music from animation and cinema to audiences at Aljada.