From Sharjah to the Caribbean: The Passport of Mallam Ilia takes its epic journey on the road

The journey of The Passport of Mallam Ilia is moving beyond the screen.

Magic Carpet Studios is proud to announce an international Work-in-Progress Festival Tour for The Passport of Mallam Ilia, bringing the highly anticipated animated feature to audiences, creatives, industry leaders and potential partners across two major international animation gatherings this October.

The tour begins in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, from 22–25 October 2026, at the Sharjah Animation & Comics Conference, before crossing the Atlantic to Trinidad & Tobago, where the project will be presented during the 25th Anniversary Edition of the Animae Caribe Festival, taking place 28–31 October 2026.

Adapted from the work of celebrated Nigerian author Cyprian Ekwensi, The Passport of Mallam Ilia is an ambitious animated feature rooted in Northern Nigerian history, culture and imagination. The film represents a larger creative ambition: to bring African stories to the world at the scale and quality they deserve.

The October tour offers audiences and industry stakeholders an opportunity to experience the film before it is finished, to see its evolving visual world, meet the creative minds behind the project, and become part of the journey toward completion and global release.

At Sharjah, the project is placed within a major gathering dedicated to animation and comics, while at Trinidad, the film is introduced to the Caribbean’s long-standing animation, gaming and digital storytelling community. The Animae Caribe Festival’s 25th Anniversary edition is itself framed around the future of Caribbean content creation, global storytelling, emerging intellectual property and international creative collaboration.

For The Passport of Mallam Ilia, the Work-in-Progress Tour is not only a screening programme but an invitation to audiences to witness the making of an African epic, an invitation to artists and creators to exchange ideas across continents, an invitation to distributors, investors and industry partners to discover a film at a pivotal moment in its journey and an invitation to the world to encounter African history and imagination through animation.

“Every great journey begins with a passport. Ours is carrying an African story across the world.”

From the Middle East to the Caribbean, October will mark a significant chapter in The Passport of Mallam Ilia's journey, connecting African animation with international creative communities and opening new conversations about culture, storytelling, collaboration, and the future of African intellectual property.

The Work-in-Progress Festival Tour is part of the film’s broader journey toward completion and its eventual meeting with audiences around the world.

The project will be presented at the Sharjah Animation & Comics Conference in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, from 22–25 October 2026.

It will then continue to Trinidad & Tobago from 28–31 October 2026 for the Animae Caribe Festival, 25th Anniversary Edition.

The Passport of Mallam Ilia is travelling, and the world is invited to come along.

The Passport of Mallam Ilia is an animated feature inspired by the work of Nigerian literary icon Cyprian Ekwensi. The project brings a significant African literary work into the world of animation, combining history, culture, adventure and visual storytelling to introduce a new generation of audiences to an important African story.

Produced by Magic Carpet Studios.

For media enquiries, Magic Carpet Studios can be contacted in Lagos, Nigeria, via hello@magiccarpet.studio or www.magiccarpet.studio.

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