Magic Carpet Studios has announced an international Work-in-Progress Festival Tour for its highly anticipated animated feature, The Passport of Mallam Ilia. The tour, which begins in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, from 22-25 October 2026, will showcase the film at the Sharjah Animation & Comics Conference. This will be followed by a presentation at the 25th Anniversary Edition of the Animae Caribe Festival in Trinidad & Tobago, from 28-31 October 2026.
The Passport of Mallam Ilia is an ambitious animated feature rooted in Northern Nigerian history, culture, and imagination. Adapted from the work of celebrated Nigerian author Cyprian Ekwensi, the film represents a larger creative ambition: to bring African stories to the world at the scale and quality they deserve. The film's producers aim to introduce a new generation of audiences to an important African story.
The Work-in-Progress Tour offers audiences and industry stakeholders an opportunity to experience the film before it is finished, 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 will be presented within a major gathering dedicated to animation and comics. In Trinidad, the film will be introduced to the Caribbean's long-standing animation, gaming, and digital storytelling community.
The Animae Caribe Festival's 25th Anniversary edition is framed around the future of Caribbean content creation, global storytelling, emerging intellectual property, and international creative collaboration. The festival provides a platform for The Passport of Mallam Ilia to connect with industry leaders, potential partners, and audiences. This aligns with the film's goal of fostering international creative collaboration and showcasing African intellectual property.
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. It is 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.
The Passport of Mallam Ilia is produced by Magic Carpet Studios, based in Lagos, Nigeria. The project has garnered significant attention for its unique blend of history, culture, adventure, and visual storytelling. With its international tour, the film is poised to make a significant impact on the global animation scene.
The film's journey is part of a broader effort to bring African stories to a global audience. As the film's producers note, "Every great journey begins with a passport. Ours is carrying an African story across the world." The Work-in-Progress Festival Tour marks 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.
Key points
- The Passport of Mallam Ilia is an animated feature inspired by the work of Nigerian literary icon Cyprian Ekwensi.
- The film's international Work-in-Progress Festival Tour will stop in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, and Trinidad & Tobago.
- The tour aims to foster international creative collaboration and showcase African intellectual property.
