Meet Nevena Dujmović Prižmić: From promoting world brands to her home city

Nevena Dujmović Prižmić (Photo credit: Bojan Bogdanić)

During her twenty-year career, Croatian model Nevena Dujmović Prižmić has been the face of many global brands. However, she received the greatest honour after she recently appeared in the new promotional film of the Zadar Tourist Board “Meet. Feel. Explore. Zadar “ and became the face of her hometown.

Nevena plays one of the two main roles in the short film which took a long time to come to fruition because of the pandemic. 

As much as it ruined her plans on the world stage, the pandemic enabled Nevena to spend more time in her hometown of Zadar when she accepted the invitation of the director of the Tourist Board, Mario Paleka.

After the premiere in Zadar, the film has already started appearing in tourist markets for Croatia such as Slovenia and Austria.

Nevena Dujmović Prižmić

“Whenever we talked about possible collaboration, we would say we will do something, sooner or later. It was finally realised and I am glad to be a part of it, I am still a child of Zadar and Pašman, says Nevena.

Her modeling career often involves shooting shorter or longer videos, so there was no need to get used to it. But…

“It was different because we spoke Croatian in the process of production and production! At first I couldn’t get used to it being a job, because it’s usually related to foreign languages, different people, air travel, hotels…I was here with the local team that “clicked” from the first meeting, we had a good time on the set, and hung out in our free time. There was also a difference in the size of the production, because I usually work with a team of about fifty people. Everything here was more intimate, Igor Goić is great at what he does, so there was no doubt that it would turn out the best,” Nevena says.

Nevena in Meet. Feel. Explore. Zadar

On major sets, Nevena has worked with famous actors such as George Clooney and Antonio Banderas. We suggested to her that after this experience she might end up with them on the big screen, and not “only” in commercials.

“Haha, in the Tourist Board video at one point I played a Bond girl, maybe that wasn’t bad…I really only have words of praise for all of them. It was a pleasure to work with them, I never had the feeling that they were any different, except that we had to print a mountain of forms on secrecy not to be published on social networks…Clooney, for example, was very accommodating, he asked me what I was doing, and he knew a lot about Croatia, basketball, and even Zadar,” Nevena reveals. 

Nevena Dujmović Prižmić

How much do her colleagues and people she meets during work know about Croatia?

“At the beginning of my career, everyone only knew about the war, whether it was Croatia or Zadar. Now that has changed, they no longer ask in amazement where I am from. They know us either as a destination with the sea and islands or by sport. I don’t need to explain much, but they are immediately interested because they have heard or seen inviting things about us.”

(Photo credit: Bojan Bogdanić)

In the last twenty years, Nevena has done numerous campaigns, for Nespresso, S.Oliver, Bioderma, Guess, Louis Vuitton, Yves Rocher, Women ‘Secret and more.

Her work was also recognised by the profession, and last year she was awarded the title of Elle Style Awards Model of the Year.

Scene from Meet. Feel. Explore. Zadar

“I love when I get an award or a compliment, I’m positive and don’t intend to stop. COVID slowed us all down a bit, I’ve been home more than ever, but for example, this film is one of the top things that came out of it. Now I’m starting again, flights and planes are already waiting for me, I’m going to Germany, Paris, mostly around Europe. And of course, I will be here again when we shoot the second part of the promotional video about our Zadar, apparently already this summer!” Nevena concludes.

You can see the film below.