Buzz behind recent filming in Cardiff city centre revealed

The early hours of last week saw a flurry of excitement in Cardiff City Centre, as curious onlookers and locals buzzed with speculation over an ongoing film shoot.

Nation Cymru can now reveal that the cause of the excitement was filming for the new feature film, “Bravado,” starring acclaimed actor Luca Malacrino, best known for his role in the TV hit series “Grey’s Anatomy”.

Born and raised in Cardiff where his father runs local and much-loved Italian restaurant ‘Giovanni’s’, he moved to LA to pursue his acting career after initially training in the city.

Welsh roots

This week, Luca Malacrino returned to his Welsh roots to collaborate with producer Rebecca Hardy, reuniting 12 years after Rebecca first taught Luca screen acting in Cardiff.

This new project marks their first feature film collaboration, bringing their shared vision to life.

Ahead of another night shoot in the city, Luca Malacrino said: “Returning to Cardiff to film ‘Bravado’ has been a dream come true.

“This city and its people hold a special place in my heart, and collaborating with Rebecca Hardy once again is an incredible experience.

“I’m thrilled to bring this story to life in a place that means so much to me. We’ll be back to premier it here next year!”

Passion

“Bravado,” set in both Los Angeles and Cardiff, captures the essence of Luca’s passion for working in Wales, a dream he has cherished since moving to LA a decade ago.

The Cardiff-based portion of the film was shot over four  nights, utilizing well-known locations such as the iconic Giovanni’s restaurants in the city centre and other locations in Cardiff Bay.

We can also reveal that “Bravado” is set to be a gripping thriller that follows an introverted writer as she strives to craft the perfect screenplay under the mentorship of a passionate, yet domineering, director.

The film stars Luca Malacrino and Caitlin Morris, with special cameo appearances by Giovanni Malacrino himself who established Giovanni’s restaurant 40 years ago. 

Producer Rebecca Hardy said: “It’s fantastic to see Luca back in his hometown filming such a wonderful feature and featuring locations that are so iconic in Cardiff.

“Having been part of Luca’s journey and see him grow, it’s an honour to be producing this film. It was really important that we used local crew for the shoot too, and a big thank you to them for their hard work and genuine love and excitment for this film.”

Produced by Rebecca Hardy, Luca Malacrino, Alex Hanno, and Apoorv Arora and directed by Alex Hanno, the film is set to be released next year. 

Stay tuned to Nation Cymru for more updates on the release of Bravado.