Sharjah animation forum puts distribution and IP economics ahead of production

At the Sharjah Animation and Comics Conference, Studio Bozzetto chief executive Pietro Pinetti argued for bringing producers, publishers, toy companies and distributors into international projects earlier. He said financing is more difficult and that studios need to consider funding, distribution, publishing and merchandising from the outset rather than relying on a strong idea alone.

Pinetti cited Pino Shinobi, an Italy–Japan collaboration that entered production within six months of initial discussions following contacts at Expo 2025 Osaka. He contrasted that example with a two-to-three-year development period for animation projects. The comparison is one speaker’s project example; it does not establish a repeatable timetable for other studios or a general market benchmark.

Other named speakers focused on distribution, cost recovery, target audience, licensing and merchandising. For a Gulf or international studio, the operational lesson is to validate who watches, who distributes, who owns each right, how investment is recouped and which ancillary revenues are credible before major spend. The conference itself announces no fund, call, commission or contracted distributor.