Sharjah:The Middle East and Africa are emerging as significant markets for the global animation industry, presenting new creative opportunities and potential for international coproduction. This was highlighted by Pietro Pinetti, CEO of Studio Bozzetto, during the Sharjah Animation and Comics Conference (SACC 2026).

According to Wam, Pinetti discussed how producers and artists from these regions could infuse fresh ideas into international projects, with the potential to engage audiences across Europe, North America, and Japan. He emphasized the importance of early involvement of potential partners in the development process, taking cues from Japan's collaborative model that includes producers, publishers, and distributors from the start.

Pinetti also noted the increasing necessity of international coproduction as financing becomes more challenging. He cited the Italian-Japanese project Pino Shinobi as a successful example of quick progression through creative collaboration.

In a separate panel on regional intellectual property development, Abdulrahman Khedr of Giraffics Studio pointed out that distribution, rather than financing, is the primary hurdle for regional studios. Meanwhile, Nathalie Habib of Blink Studios stressed the need for studios to define their target audiences and revenue streams early in the project lifecycle to ensure commercial viability.

The Sharjah Animation and Comics Conference, organized by the Sharjah Book Authority, is hosting over 150 activities and 75 speakers from more than 30 countries from October 22 to 25 at Aljada.