Meet the Croatian diaspora beauty turning heads on the red carpet at Cannes Film Festival

by croatiaweek
May 25, 2023
in Entertainment

Katica Rakuljić (Photo credit: Olivier Vigerie/Bob Long)

The 76th annual Cannes Film Festival has been going on in the French Riviera resort town, and one person who has been turning heads on the red carpet is model, economist, and host Katica Rakuljić.

Born in Split, Croatia, to Croatian parents, Katica moved to Sweden at the age of 3 months and grew up in the Swedish city of Gothenburg.

Katica, who was the first runner-up of Miss Universe Croatia in 2011 and represented Croatia at the Top Model of the World competition, has been in Cannes covering the festival for Onepress Tv and walking the red carpet as a model.

(Photo credit: Olivier Vigerie/Bob Long)

Although she has spent her life living in Sweden, Katica considers herself to be first and foremost Croatian.

“Growing up, my parents made sure that we always spoke Croatian, and my siblings and I all went to Croatian classes since we were kids. I was also dancing traditional Croatian dance at the local Croatian club – Velebit, in Sweden when I was younger and went there every week to dance. I am very much connected to the Croatian culture, I would say, and I don’t consider myself Swedish,” she told us, before adding.

“I am also a huge football supporter, and whenever Croatia plays, it’s a special feeling that is hard to explain to someone who is not from the country. But l always say l keep three things very close to my heart: God, my family, and then my country.”

(Photo credit: Olivier Vigerie/Bob Long)

Katica, who has modelled all over the world, has recently been working for Onepress Tv, which covers all the big film and television news.

(Photo credit: Olivier Vigerie/Bob Long)

“I went to my first casting when I was 13 years old, but I did not start to travel for modelling until I was 20. Since then, I have lived and worked in many cities and countries around the world. As far back as I can remember, I always loved being in front of the camera and singing and dancing. It’s hard for me to say when my love for modelling was born, but I remember following the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show and Sports Illustrated ever since I knew about them. It stayed in my heart; I saw myself in it, and that desire grew stronger.

(Photo: Private album)

From filming on the Great Wall of China to filming beer commercials in Mexico and filming with Fadil Berisha in New York, Katica has had a successful career as a model.

(Photo credit: Fadil Berisha)

Her role with Onepress Tv has also taken her to some of the biggest film festivals, including the Swedish Film Festival, where she met and interviewed Croatian actor Zlatko Burić, who was the first Croatian actor to win the prestigious European Film Award.

Katica, who visits Croatia at least one or two times a year, is proud of where she was born.

“I have a lot of family there. I love my country and my roots. You often hear that Split is the most beautiful city in the world, and I truly think it is,” she says.

(Photo: Private album)

Besides being a professional model and host, Katica is also an economist after graduating from the University of Gothenburg. She is also a history buff, and in her spare time, she loves to ride horses. She says that one day she would like to move back to the country she loves.