The second edition of San Diego Comic-Con Málaga closes on Sunday, with Andalusia again in the international spotlight for pop culture and the creative industries. The regional Ministry of Tourism, Justice, Deregulation and Local Administration held professional sessions at the convention that generated nearly 200 business contacts.
Second Vice-President and regional minister Manuel Gavira said the event offered significant exposure for the region and could attract travellers from new audience groups while helping position Andalusian businesses in the industry. The programme, called DUNA (Developing Universal Narratives from Andalusia), ran across all four days of the convention. It arranged meetings between around 40 Andalusian audiovisual and tourism businesses and about 10 representatives of leading production companies with international experience.
Participating small and medium-sized enterprises worked in fields including production, communications, hospitality, video game development, filming locations and event venues, set design, visual effects, artificial intelligence, animation, nautical tourism and event management. Representatives from companies including A Film Location Company, Calle Cruzada and La Sierra Produce also took part, alongside professionals with experience on productions such as Game of Thrones, The Crown, Venom, Noche y día, The Kingdom of Heaven, Superlopez, Money Heist and Elite. The programme was organised with the convention and Andalucía Film Office to create business opportunities, support growth in the creative industries and position Andalusia as a destination for film and audiovisual production.
The ministry also presented a new communication campaign aimed at young people, featuring an animated short film with music by composer Hans Zimmer. Made by creative agency Ogilvy, the film follows a young woman, Mitsuki, as she enters an adventure video game inspired by Andalusia. It combines live action with several animation styles and depicts locations and cultural references from across the region, including Seville’s Baroque art, Cádiz and the Gulf of Cádiz, Málaga, Granada, Córdoba, Jaén, Huelva and Almería. Other references include Andalusia’s Tartessian past, Holy Week, flamenco, Federico García Lorca and Western films.
A reverse press trip has also been organised for eight specialist journalists from France, China, Germany, Belgium and the United States, who will visit the destination and attend the convention. The stated aim is to increase international coverage of Andalusia as a creative destination.
Convention communications have highlighted audiovisual production and video games, including settings that inspired interactive titles: Triana Bridge and the Royal Alcázar in Blasphemous, the Alhambra in Assassin’s Creed, the Giralda in SimCity, and Cádiz and Sierra Nevada in Pokémon. San Diego Comic-Con, with the regional ministry’s participation and co-financing from the European Regional Development Fund’s Andalusia 2021–2027 programme, is set to expand its facilities and content, including an additional exhibition pavilion of more than 9,000 square metres and a larger artists’ area.