The Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) and Sarawak Digital Economy Corporation (SDEC) launched a 20-day countdown to the Borneo Animation & Games Festival (BAGFEST) 2026 in Cyberjaya. The main event will take place in Kuching, Sarawak, from August 19 to 23, 2026.
BAGFEST 2026 will include more than 30 international and Malaysian speakers, over 50 exhibitors, and participation from industry buyers, investors, publishers, studios and creative professionals. The event is intended to support original intellectual property (IP) development, investment, business partnerships, talent development and international market access.
Countdown To BAGFEST 2026 Begins
Anuar Fariz Fadzil, MDEC Chief Executive Officer and BAGFEST 2026 Co-Chair, said the festival is intended to support the development of Malaysian IP and expand international collaborations within the digital content and creative industry. Dato Ir. Ts. Sudarnoto Osman, Chief Executive Officer of SDEC, said the event aims to create opportunities for Sarawak-based creators to reach regional and international markets.
BAGFEST 2026 is organized around six program pillars, covering creative excellence and storytelling, original IP development and globalization, business growth and commercialization, future technologies and artificial intelligence, talent development, and community engagement. The program includes an international conference, business matching sessions, a networking dinner, an elevator pitch competition, portfolio reviews, technical workshops, an exhibition, animation film screenings, BAGFEST Con and a two-day MYFutureJobs Metaverse Career Fair.
Keynote speakers include Rob Doherty, Vice President of Production at Hasbro Entertainment, whose credits include Angry Birds: Summer Madness, Supa Team 4 and Space Chickens in Space; Sidney Kombo, Lead Animation Supervisor at Wētā FX, known for work on Avengers: Endgame, Avengers: Infinity War and War for the Planet of the Apes; Lyon Liew, Technical Director for Simulation at Pixar Animation Studios; Ryan Lee, Executive Director and Co-Founder of The Pinkfong Company; and Takafumi Yuki, Chief Executive Officer and Producer of Throne Inc.
Malaysian speakers include Tiara Jacquelina Eu Effendi of Enfiniti Group of Companies, Burhanuddin Md. Radzi of Les’ Copaque Production (creator of Upin & Ipin), Usamah Zaid Yasin of WAU Animation (creator of the Ejen Ali franchise), Juhaidah Joemin of Visional Pop and Wan Hazmer of Metronomik (developer of No Straight Roads).
More than 50 exhibition booths have been confirmed, including participants such as Sarawak Information Systems Sdn. Bhd. (SAINS), Metadise.io, Todak Studios, FlyStudio, Lemon Sky Studios, TrifoldX, Sabah Creative Economy and Innovation Centre (SCENIC), Multimedia University (MMU), Asia Pacific University (APU), University of Technology Sarawak (UTS) and Algoin Tech. UNICEF Malaysia will also participate, contributing expertise on child online protection to discussions on games and digital experiences for children.
The official opening ceremony is scheduled for August 21, 2026, with expected attendance from Sarawak Premier Abang Haji Abdul Rahman Zohari Bin Tun Datuk Abang Haji Openg and Malaysia’s Minister of Digital, Gobind Singh Deo.
Pokdepinion: About time we see what Borneo talents can bring to the creative industry, and there certainly will be standouts.
