The Middle East Film and Comic Con (MEFCC) kicks off on Thursday and a colorful array of Hollywood stars and international cosplay aficionados have touched down in Dubai for the fun-filled event.
One of those wonderfully vibrant stars is Filipino cosplayer, model and TV presenter Alodia Almira Arraiza Gosiengfiao, who is known around the world for her larger-than–life costumes.
She is a leading figure in the world of cosplay, a hybrid of the words costume and play. The hobby sees fans wear costumes and fashion accessories to represent a specific character from a TV show, comic or manga series.
The 30-year-old cosplay star, who is also a co-host on ABS-CBN’s prank TV show “Laugh Out Loud,” is set to meet fans on Friday and Saturday in the Artists’ Alley section of the event — a dedicated area where regional and international comic and manga artists showcase their latest creations for sale.
Alodia spoke exclusively to Arab News before the event kicked off and revealed some of her all-time favorite movies, comics and anime characters.
The famous Filipino chose Hollywood flick “How to Train Your Dragon” as one of her top movies, because she “(loves) dragons and (wishes) they were real.” She also gave a nod of approval to the world’s 10th-highest-grossing film of all time, Disney’s “Frozen,” due to the “magical female lead and story about sisters.”
However, the top spot in her list of six favorite films went to director James Cameron’s epic 2009 blockbuster “Avatar,” which Alodia praised for its storyline and cinematography.
Turning to video games and the much-loved cosplayer named her go-to choice as PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, a multiplayer online battle game.
“(It is) the first survival game I’ve ever tried and you don’t need to be a good shooter to win the game,” she said, explaining why she is such a huge fan of the high-adrenaline game.
Coming in second and third place respectively are DOTA 2, a multiplayer online battle arena video game, and Final Fantasy 10, because, according to Alodia, “its story is very engaging and the characters are very unique.”
But what about her favorite anime characters? Since bringing these animations to life is Alodia’s bread and butter, this question could have proved impossible to answer, but the cosplay celebrity didn’t miss a beat.
“Misa Amane of (manga series) Death Note,” she replied — a slightly dark but fascinating choice since the bubbly character is known for her desire to aid a mass-murderer in his bid to cleanse the world of evil.
Alodia will attend the event along with actor Ezra Miller who plays The Flash in the DC Universe. Miller recently starred in Hollywood film “Justice League” with Gal Gadot, Ben Affleck, Ray Fisher and Jason Momoa and previously starred in the Harry Potter spinoff movie, “Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them.”
The MEFCC is set to run from April 5-7 at Dubai World Trade Center and will feature panel discussions, workshops and a raft of activities for fans of all ages.
Cosplay star swoops in for Comic Con
Cosplay star swoops in for Comic Con
Arts festival’s decision to exclude Palestinian author spurs boycott
- A Macquarie University academic who researches Islamophobia and Palestine, Abdel-Fattah responded saying it was “a blatant and shameless act of anti-Palestinian racism and censorship,” with her lawyers issuing a letter to the festival
SYDENY: A top Australian arts festival has seen the withdrawal of dozens of writers in a backlash against its decision to bar an Australian Palestinian author after the Bondi Beach mass shooting, as moves to curb antisemitism spur free speech concerns.
The shooting which killed 15 people at a Jewish Hanukkah celebration at Sydney’s Bondi Beach on Dec. 14 sparked nationwide calls to tackle antisemitism. Police say the alleged gunmen were inspired by Daesh.
The Adelaide Festival board said last Thursday it would disinvite Randa Abdel-Fattah from February’s Writers Week in the state of South Australia because “it would not be culturally sensitive to continue to program her at this unprecedented time so soon after Bondi.”
FASTFACTS
• Abdel-Fattah responded, saying it was ‘a blatant and shameless act of anti-Palestinian racism and censorship.’
• Around 50 authors have since withdrawn from the festival in protest, leaving it in doubt, local media reported.
A Macquarie University academic who researches Islamophobia and Palestine, Abdel-Fattah responded saying it was “a blatant and shameless act of anti-Palestinian racism and censorship,” with her lawyers issuing a letter to the festival.
Around 50 authors have since withdrawn from the festival in protest, leaving it in doubt, local media reported.
Among the boycotting authors, Kathy Lette wrote on social media the decision to bar Abdel-Fattah “sends a divisive and plainly discriminatory message that platforming Australian Palestinians is ‘culturally insensitive.'”
The Adelaide Festival said in a statement on Monday that three board members and the chairperson had resigned. The festival’s executive director, Julian Hobba, said the arts body was “navigating a complex moment.”
a complex and unprecedented moment” after the “significant community response” to the board decision.
In the days after the Bondi Beach attack, Jewish community groups and the Israeli government criticized Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for failing to act on a rise in antisemitic attacks and criticized protest marches against Israel’s war in Gaza held since 2023.
Albanese said last week a Royal Commission will consider the events of the shooting as well as antisemitism and social cohesion in Australia. Albanese said on Monday he would recall parliament next week to pass tougher hate speech laws.
On Monday, New South Wales state premier Chris Minns announced new rules that would allow local councils to cut off power and water to illegally operating prayer halls.
Minns said the new rules were prompted by the difficulty in closing a prayer hall in Sydney linked to a cleric found by a court to have made statements intimidating Jewish Australians.
The mayor of the western Sydney suburb of Fairfield said the rules were ill-considered and councils should not be responsible for determining hate speech.
“Freedom of speech is something that should always be allowed, as long as it is done in a peaceful way,” Mayor Frank Carbone told Reuters.
