- Title: Comic fans gather for Dubai extravaganza
- Date: 9th April 2017
- Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (English) "THE WALKING DEAD" ACTOR, JOSH MCDERMITT, SAYING: "Now it just keeps doubling in size and that's always awesome. And someone was asking me - 'well how does this compare between the New York Comic Con or the San Diego Comic Con, the big ones?' Obviously, it may not be there in size but I would argue that the excitement level is even bigger than a place like San Diego and I would hope that this becomes more of an epicentre for the entertainment industry. You know the San Diego is happening in the summer time; well it's like - why not make the Middle East Film and Comic Con the big..., in the spring time, the time to come, for all movies and TV shows to just talk about that." VARIOUS OF COSPLAYER VENUE (SOUNDBITE) (English) "GAME OF THRONES" ACTOR, LIAM CUNNINGHAM, SAYING: "It's just this wonderful mixture of cultures. You know it really, it really makes my heart feel good when you meet these beautiful, huge amount of Filipino people here for instance. There's Europeans, Americans and of course these fantastic Arab people from all around the region. And you really get to see that we're all the same. I think that there's a lot more of that needed to prove that there is almost everybody in this world are good people. I'm very optimistic about the human race." VARIOUS OF SPIDERMAN MODEL VARIOUS OF COSPLAYERS FANS AT VENUE (SOUNDBITE) (English) CEO OF ALLIANCE, ORGANISERS OF MEFCC, BEN CADDY, SAYING: "Pop culture like music or sport is a bridge between cultures. It's something that any age, any gender, any economic level or nationality have a shared love of super heroes, comics, gaming and whatever falls into that category. So, the reach is huge you know especially in this region, which is obviously the youngest region in the world. The enthusiasm is massive. There's a lot of regional talent out there who don't necessarily have an industry to follow, so I think Comic Con has become that platform where they can meet their peers, they can start to collaborate, they can learn from each other." VARIOUS OF COMIC CON MERCHANDISE ON SALE VARIOUS OF COSPLAYERS NEAR STAGE COMIC CON FLAGS (SOUNDBITE) (English) COSPLAYERS DRESSED AS "UNDERTALE" VIDEO GAME CHARACTER, LUCY WATSON, SAYING: "To be honest, other cosplayers because I see... I actually inspired this off another cosplayer because I saw them and they were so amazing, and I was like - I should do that character for Comic Con and it ended up being a reality." VARIOUS EXTERIORS OF VENUE
- Embargoed: 23rd April 2017 14:04
- Keywords: Dubai film Comic Con Game of Thrones cosplay cosplayers
- Location: DUBAI, UAE
- City: DUBAI, UAE
- Country: United Arab Emirates
- Topics: Arts/Culture/Entertainment,Film
- Reuters ID: LVA0036BOF2VP
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: The sixth edition of the Middle East Film and Comic Con concluded in Dubai on Saturday (April 8).
Organisers said nearly 60,000 comic fans attended the three-day event.
Among the stars at the event were "The Walking Dead" actor Josh McDermitt and Liam Cunnigham from "Game of Thrones".
McDermitt said even though the Dubai even was much smaller in size as compared to its American counterparts, the level of enthusiasm was unmatched.
"I would hope that this becomes more of an epicentre for the entertainment industry," the actor said.
For Cunnigham, the big draw at the event was the level of diversity of cultures on display.
"There's Europeans, Americans and of course these fantastic Arab people from all around the region. And you really get to see that we're all the same. I think that there's a lot more of that needed," he said.
For comic fans, it was a chance to dress up as their favourite characters.
Visitor Lucy Watson had dressed as a character from "Undertale" video game after seeing another cosplayer.
"They were so amazing, and I was like - I should do that character for Comic Con and it ended up being a reality," she said.
Organisers said they plan to bring more pop culture and entertainment events targeted at the region's vast young population. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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