What this year's Animax convention in Israel will feature

Animax is the Tel Aviv comics and animation convention, and the Jerusalem Post tells what'll be featured there this year:

Animax Tel Aviv, a celebration of animation, comics, and character art from around the world, is commemorating its 25th anniversary with a gala festival to be held August 5-9.

Since its founding, Animax Tel Aviv has been a platform for artists to express their personal narratives, political views, and creative visions. This year, perhaps more than ever, that spirit of expression will take center stage.

Against the backdrop of the October 7, 2023, Hamas mega-attacks, the ongoing war in Gaza, and the recent Israel-Iran War, the festival’s showcased artists and their works will reflect that spirit of expression and the darker reality that Israel has faced.

Featured pieces at the festival

One of the standout pieces at the festival about the Israel-Gaza conflict comes from director Jordan Barr and co-director Chen Heifetz of Tel Aviv’s Studio Pixel. They have created a six-minute animated film telling the story of Guy Gilboa Dalal, an anime fan who attended the Nova music festival, where hundreds were killed and kidnapped.

Dalal was among those taken hostage and, nearly two years later, remains captive in Gaza. The film’s raw, personal narrative offers both a tribute and a stark reminder of the human cost of ongoing conflict.

Another political piece at the festival will be the panel Tehran on the Line. Bringing together prominent voices from both the art and academic worlds, the panel will explore the intersection of art, politics, and protest.

Featured guests include Michael Kichka, a renowned comic artist known for blending personal narratives with political commentary; Benny Sabati, a leading scholar on Iran; and Dekel Shay-Schori, a specialist in Middle Eastern animation. They will offer insight into the Iran-Israel conflict while shedding light on how Iranian artists are using animation, comics, and political cartoons to challenge censorship and authoritarian control.

The panel will include discussions, visual presentations, and screenings of notable works such as Persepolis, the acclaimed animated film based on Marjane Satrapi’s graphic novel, which portrays life under Iran’s oppressive regime through deeply personal storytelling.

This certainly is an interesting setup of panel discussions they're holding this year, and in addition, they're even raising the important subject of how life in Iran became a hellhole under ayatollah Khomeinis Islamic reign. I've sometimes found it amazing if certain leftists actually support Satrapi despite all that. If the convention management is smart, they'll do their best in the coming years to make sure similar panels and projects are brought up at the Tel Aviv convention.