John Malkovich discovers Croatia through authentic experiences in the new CNTB film
John Malkovich, one of the world’s best-known actors of Croatian descent, is the central face of the new promotional film by the Croatian National Tourist Board, a project through which Croatia aims to further present itself as an authentic and globally recognizable tourist destination. The Croatian National Tourist Board announced on 26 May 2026 that the film’s teaser is already available to the public, while the premiere of the full version has been announced immediately before the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. According to the CNTB, the film does not rely only on recognizable landscapes, but on the atmosphere of the country, the local rhythm of life, culture, history, gastronomy and experiences that can give travelers a broader picture of Croatia. It is a campaign that comes ahead of a period of exceptional global media attention, because the World Cup begins on 11 June 2026 and is being held in Canada, Mexico and the United States of America.
According to the Croatian National Tourist Board’s announcement, the teaser of the new promotional video is available online under the title “I Hear It’s Beautiful”, and the full film should be presented in all markets immediately before the start of the football championship. That time frame is not accidental: FIFA’s official schedule confirms that the tournament begins on 11 June with a match in Mexico City and ends on 19 July with the final in the New York and New Jersey area. The 2026 championship will be the largest edition so far, with 48 national teams and 104 matches in 16 host cities, making it one of the most visible global sporting events of the year. In its press release, the CNTB stated that the campaign has a special focus on the American market, which is understandable because the United States is one of the three tournament hosts and one of the key long-haul markets for the promotion of Croatia. In such a context, the promotional film functions not only as a tourism video, but also as an attempt to connect the Croatian brand with a global event that will attract a large international audience in June and July.
The CNTB presented Malkovich as an internationally respected actor, twice nominated for an Oscar and winner of an Emmy Award, known for the films “Dangerous Liaisons”, “In the Line of Fire” and “Being John Malkovich”. The Television Academy states that Malkovich won an Emmy for his role in the television adaptation of “Death of a Salesman”, and that he was nominated for an Oscar for his performances in the films “Places in the Heart” and “In the Line of Fire”. In a broader regional context, his appearance in the film “Valley of the Gods” by director Lech Majewski is also noted, in which he acted alongside Josh Hartnett, Bérénice Marlohe and John Rhys-Davies. The CNTB explains the choice of Malkovich for this campaign also by his Croatian roots, that is, by his personal connection with Croatia, which fits into the concept of a video that does not want to show the country only through postcard shots. In the CNTB’s public call for the engagement of an actor in the image video, John Malkovich was also listed as an example of the required connection with Croatia, with the note that his grandfather and grandmother are from Ozalj.
Such a choice of acting face has several layers of communication. On the one hand, Malkovich is recognizable enough for an international audience, especially in markets where Croatia wants to strengthen its visibility beyond classic European demand. On the other hand, his family connection with Croatia allows the campaign message not to feel like a usual engagement of a celebrity without a real connection to the destination. According to the CNTB, the film presents Croatia through authenticity, the local way of life and experiences that shape the character of the country. That is precisely why Malkovich’s appearance in the campaign can be read as an attempt to bring Croatia closer to the international viewer not only as a place for holidays, but also as a country of layered culture, language, places and everyday habits.
An important role in the making of the film is held by Pete Radovich, a television and sports producer of Croatian descent, who is the creative director on the project. The CNTB states that Radovich has won 45 Emmy Awards in 18 categories and that it was precisely his long-standing collaboration with Malkovich that contributed to the actor’s participation in the promotional film. According to the same announcement, this is the fourth collaboration between Malkovich and Radovich. Their earlier joint projects won a number of accolades in the television and marketing industry, including five Emmy Awards, five Cannes Lions and eight Clio Awards. Such information is important for understanding the ambitions of the project, because the CNTB is clearly not counting only on a famous face, but also on the production and creative credibility of authors who know the international audiovisual space well.
The official announcement also states that the agency Bunker d.o.o. was selected for filming services, while the creative agency Brandmama d.o.o. participated in the creation of the script. This places the project within the broader framework of a professional campaign, and not only of an individual promotional spot. According to the CNTB’s public call, the engagement of an internationally recognized A-list actor or actress with a proven connection with Croatia was sought for a promotional image video lasting up to 180 seconds. The same document states that filming could take place at locations such as Zadar, Split, Dubrovnik, Zagreb, Slavonia, the island of Lošinj and Rovinj, that is, in areas covering both the coast and the interior. This shows that the goal was to avoid narrowing Croatia exclusively to a summer coastal image and to highlight the diversity of the destination.
The new promotional film comes at a moment when Croatian tourism is increasingly trying to emphasize the diversity of its offer and move away from the perception of a destination recognized exclusively for the sea, beaches and summer season. On its official pages, the Croatian National Tourist Board states that it is the national organization responsible for the promotion and development of Croatian tourism, with the aim of strengthening Croatia’s identity as a tourist destination at the domestic and global level. In the description of its activities, the CNTB particularly emphasizes the quality of the offer, sustainability, authenticity and year-round tourism. The new film with Malkovich fits precisely into that direction, because it places emphasis on the experience of staying, encountering the local atmosphere and the diversity of spaces, and not only on individual visually attractive shots. For travelers whom the campaign could encourage to plan a visit, accommodation offers in Croatia may also be useful, especially if they decide to tour several regions shown in the promotional material.
According to available information, filming took place at numerous locations throughout Croatia, but in its announcement the CNTB did not specify in detail all the shots that will be included in the final version of the film. Still, the public call and official announcements point to the intention to show Croatia as a space of multiple identities: Mediterranean, Central European, continental, island, urban and rural. Such an approach has marketing logic, because international tourism demand is increasingly shifting toward authentic experiences, local gastronomy, culture, nature and stays outside the peak season. Croatia, meanwhile, has the advantage of a relatively small area with a large concentration of different landscapes and historical settings. The promotional film with Malkovich is therefore conceived as an emotional introduction to the destination, but also as a tool for strengthening brand recognition in markets that do not necessarily come spontaneously from the European neighborhood.
The campaign follows a year in which Croatia, according to data from the eVisitor system published by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, recorded more than 21.8 million tourist arrivals and 110.1 million overnight stays. In January 2026, the Ministry announced that, compared with 2024, this represented growth of 2 percent in arrivals and 1 percent in overnight stays, with overnight stays exceeding the threshold of 110 million for the first time. Of that, according to the same source, 104.6 million overnight stays were recorded on the Adriatic, and 5.6 million overnight stays on the continent, including Zagreb. The highest number of overnight stays by county was recorded in Istria, Split-Dalmatia County, Kvarner, Zadar County and Dubrovnik-Neretva County, while among destinations the highest number of overnight stays was achieved by Dubrovnik, Rovinj, Split, Poreč and Umag. These data explain why the promotion is aimed simultaneously at well-known tourism assets and at the attempt to broaden the perception of Croatia as a year-round destination.
In the same announcement, Minister of Tourism and Sports Tonči Glavina pointed out that 2026 brings new challenges, including unstable geopolitical developments, the economic situation in source markets and changes in tourism trends. CNTB Director Kristjan Staničić meanwhile announced the continuation of the development of premium and sustainable tourism, the strengthening of cooperation with air carriers, tour operators and digital platforms, and the communication of specific tourism products. In that sense, the new film with Malkovich should be viewed as part of a broader promotional portfolio, and not as an isolated attempt to attract attention. The campaign comes at a moment when Croatia wants to maintain record results, but also respond to pressures related to prices, quality and value for money. A recognizable actor and a global sporting context can increase the reach of the message, but the long-term effect will depend on how much the image from the promotional film matches the real experience of travelers.
Connecting the film’s premiere with the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup is a logical communication move because the tournament gathers an audience far wider than the classic tourism public. According to FIFA, the competition begins on 11 June 2026 in Mexico City, and matches will be played in three host countries. According to the schedule published on FIFA’s pages, the Croatian national team plays in Group L against England on 17 June in Dallas, against Panama on 23 June in Toronto and against Ghana on 27 June in Philadelphia. Croatia therefore gains additional sporting visibility in the same period, and the tourism campaign can make use of the increased interest in the country and its national team. Although sporting success cannot be planned as a marketing tool, presence at a major tournament creates room for additional international recognition.
For the CNTB, it is especially important that part of the championship is being held in the United States of America, a market where destinations often compete for the attention of travelers who plan longer, more expensive and more content-rich trips. In that sense, Malkovich as an American actor of Croatian descent can serve as a bridge between the American audience and the Croatian tourism story. The film, meanwhile, does not aim only to inform, but to create an impression of a country that can be experienced through people, scents, voices, landscapes and the rhythm of everyday life. Such an approach corresponds to contemporary tourism marketing, in which destinations are less and less presented only as a list of attractions, and increasingly as an experience that can be personally interpreted. That is precisely why the final version of the film will show how successfully the campaign has managed to balance cinematic aesthetics, authenticity and a clear tourism message.
Croatia has for years presented itself as a country of strong contrasts: coast and continent, islands and cities, gastronomy and cultural heritage, natural spaces and living local communities. In the new CNTB promotional film, these elements should be united through the personal, almost narrative gaze of John Malkovich. According to the official announcement, the full version will be published ahead of the start of the tournament, before the football championship in North America draws global attention. This gives Croatia an opportunity to increase visibility at a moment when travel, sport, media and digital platforms naturally overlap. The success of the campaign will be measured not only by the number of views of the teaser and final film, but also by whether the message about an authentic, diverse and year-round Croatia remains recognizable after the first wave of media attention.
Sources:
- Croatian National Tourist Board – official press release on the promotional film with John Malkovich, Pete Radovich and the planned release of the full version (link)
- Croatian National Tourist Board – public call for the engagement of an actor in the CNTB promotional project, with a description of the profile, connection with Croatia and possible filming locations (link)
- YouTube / Croatian National Tourist Board – teaser “I Hear It’s Beautiful” with John Malkovich (link)
- FIFA – official schedule of the 2026 World Cup, dates, matches and locations (link)
- FIFA – official information on the start of the 2026 World Cup in Mexico City and the final in the New York and New Jersey area (link)
- Television Academy – biographical data on John Malkovich, Emmy Award and nominations (link)
- Well Go USA – official description of the film “Valley of the Gods” and cast (link)
- Croatian National Tourist Board – description of the role of the CNTB, its mission and the promotion of sustainable, authentic and year-round tourism (link)
- Ministry of Tourism and Sports of the Republic of Croatia – eVisitor system data on tourist traffic in Croatia during 2025 (link)