One of the effects of the FIFA World Cup is to create curiosity about the countries sending teams to play. The Croatian National Tourist Board has turned that into an opportunity. Ahead of Croatia’s World Cup match against England on June 18, Croatia launched a tourism campaign. The film, Croatia – I hear it’s Beautiful, also stands out for its idea. Yes, it does take viewers through all the destination highlights, but they’re housed in a six-minute film, starring John Malkovich (whose family roots trace back to Croatia and recently received Croatian citizenship). The storyline is that a cantankerous Malkovich is booked by his agent to do a tourism campaign for the country – allowing his reputation for sceptical cynicism to come into play.

As the film (and Malkovich’s tour of the country) progresses, Malkovich’s resistance dissolves. Meanwhile, the viewer sees the country through his cranky appraisal – juxtaposed against striking attractions. Capturing those striking attractions was director, Pete Radovich. Creative agency, Brandmama, developed the script and Bunker produced the film.

The film made its debut at an event held at the Croatian national football team’s World Cup training camp on the Saturday before the match.