Mexico President Asks Bad Bunny for Free Mexico City Concert

Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny performs in concert at El Campin stadium in Bogota, Colombia, 20 November 2022. (EPA)
Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny performs in concert at El Campin stadium in Bogota, Colombia, 20 November 2022. (EPA)
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Mexico President Asks Bad Bunny for Free Mexico City Concert

Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny performs in concert at El Campin stadium in Bogota, Colombia, 20 November 2022. (EPA)
Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny performs in concert at El Campin stadium in Bogota, Colombia, 20 November 2022. (EPA)

Mexico's President on Wednesday asked Puerto Rican rapper and singer Bad Bunny to perform a free concert in the vast Zocalo square in Mexico City's center after a fiasco with Ticketmaster left hundreds of ticket holders unable to enter his sold-out show at the Estadio Azteca stadium on Friday. 

"I know he is super busy and tired because he works a lot, but I'm asking him to consider the possibility of coming to Mexico to the Zocalo. We can't pay him. It would have to be a collaboration," President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said during a regular news conference. 

Ticketmaster, which has blamed the issue on an "unprecedented number of fake tickets", said in a statement on Monday it is collaborating with authorities and committed to fully reimbursing fans that could not get into the concert, plus an additional 20% of the total cost of the ticket. 

In neighboring United States, Ticketmaster faces a tsunami of criticism for problems in selling tickets to a 2023 Taylor Swift tour.  

US Senator Amy Klobuchar has said a Senate antitrust panel will hold a hearing on the lack of competition in the ticketing industry following the company's Swift ticket sales debacle. 



Saudi Film Commission Participates in South Korea’s Busan Film Festival

The Saudi Film Commission logo
The Saudi Film Commission logo
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Saudi Film Commission Participates in South Korea’s Busan Film Festival

The Saudi Film Commission logo
The Saudi Film Commission logo

The Saudi Film Commission announced its participation in the prestigious Busan International Film Festival 2024, taking place from October 2-11 in Busan, South Korea.

As one of Asia's most prominent film festivals and a key global film market, the festival showcases a variety of narrative and documentary films. The festival is also known for discovering and promoting emerging talents from Asia.

The Film Commission’s participation aims to foster stronger cultural and cinematic ties between Saudi Arabia and South Korea while promoting creative collaboration. It will highlight Saudi Arabia as a prime location for film production, showcase the commission’s diverse programs, promote Saudi talents and films, and facilitate the exchange of ideas and knowledge in the global film industry.

The Film Commission will host a dedicated pavilion at the festival on October 5-8 featuring a Saudi delegation of partners from the Kingdom’s film sector. The presence will serve to build sustainable relationships with South Korean film industry leaders and facilitate collaboration in film production and distribution. Furthermore, the pavilion will act as a networking hub, enabling the commission to strengthen connections with international film industry experts attending the festival.

Through its participation in the Busan International Film Festival 2024, the Film Commission seeks to highlight Saudi Arabia’s growing role in the global cinematic landscape, position the Kingdom as an attractive destination for film production, and demonstrate its ongoing commitment to participating in major international film events. By establishing strategic partnerships with global entities, the commission continues to enhance Saudi Arabia’s stature in the world of film.