House of the Dragon star Matt Smith to appear at Middle East Film and Comic Con

The pop culture event will return to Abu Dhabi for the second time in March

British actor Matt Smith has been announced as the first celebrity headliner for MEFCC. Photo: HBO

Matt Smith, star of House of the Dragon, has been announced for this year’s Middle East Film and Comic Con. The actor, who is also known for starring in Doctor Who, is the first celebrity headliner revealed for the event.

Smith played the 11th Doctor in the series from 2010 to 2014. He later played Prince Philip in the first two seasons of The Crown, earning his first Emmy nomination, before his current role as Daemon Targaryen in the hit show House of the Dragon.

He’ll be joined by American voice actor Christopher Sabat, who is best known for his work as Dragon Ball Z's anti-heroes Vegeta and Piccolo, as well as Disney artists Mike and Patty Peraza.

Sabat has also voiced anime characters in the hit series One Piece, YuYu Hakusho, Fairy Tail and My Hero Academia. Aside from voice acting, he is also the founder of OkraTron 5000, an audio production company.

Mike is an award-winning designer who has worked on films such as The Little Mermaid, DuckTales, The Fox and the Hound, Return of Oz, Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast. His wife Patty — the first female hire at The Walt Disney Studios — has also done animations for Mickey’s Christmas Carol and various Disney commercials.

Other talent announced include voice actors Paige O’Hara, who played Belle in Beauty and the Beast and Zach Aguilar, known for voicing Tanjiro Kamado or Demon Slayer and Aether of Genshin Impact.

The three-day pop culture festival will take place from March 3 to 5 at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, after moving from its long-time venue in Dubai World Trade Centre.

A celebration of pop culture and fandom, the event brings together fans and stars for a fun-filled weekend that features workshops, talks, meet-and-greets, concerts, competitions and more. Among the highlights is the annual cosplay competition, where fans dress up as their favourite characters and compete to see who is the best-dressed.

Scroll through the gallery below for pictures from the cosplay competition at MEFCC 2022