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From The Hayes to Hollywood: Cardiff shot Bravado premieres in LA
- Nia Medi
- 9 hours ago
- 4 min read
A new psychological thriller shot between Cardiff and Los Angeles, led by Cardiff-born Welsh actor and filmmaker Luca Malacrino, has premiered at one of Hollywood’s most iconic cinemas after winning over audiences and critics on the US festival circuit.
Bravado, dubbed “the Black Swan of scriptwriting” by The Hollywood Times, is co-produced by Luca, who also stars in the lead role, and co-written and directed by Alex Hanno. The film had its Hollywood premiere on Sunday 28 June at Dances With Films: LA, screening at the legendary Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.
For Luca, who got his first major break as an actor in Grey’s Anatomy in 2017 before building a career between the UK and the US, the film marks a major personal milestone. His latest feature brings together his life in Los Angeles, his Welsh roots and the Cardiff restaurant where he grew up.
That restaurant is Giovanni’s on The Hayes, owned and run by Luca’s father, Giovanni Malacrino, since 1983, and scenes for Bravado were filmed there. In a move from pasta to mafia, Giovanni appears in the film as a mafia don-style character, and Cardiff city centre and Cardiff Bay also feature on screen.
For Luca, bringing the production back to Cardiff meant returning not only to the city where he grew up, but to the family restaurant that shaped so much of his childhood.
Luca Malacrino said:
“One of my biggest goals has always been to bring projects home to Wales. Bravado gave me the chance to show my LA producing team what filming here really looks like and, thanks to the support of Welsh Government, it won’t be the last. There is incredible talent here on both sides of the camera. Getting more producers to see that, and to film in Wales, would be a dream.”
Bravado has been drawing warm responses during its US festival run, with screenings at Cleveland International Film Festival in Ohio, the Julien Dubuque International Film Festival in Iowa and Stony Brook Film Festival in New York, before its LA premiere marked another major moment in its journey.
The LA premiere attracted festival audiences and industry guests including actors K Callan (Widow’s Bay, Knives Out) and Phillip Botello (The Art of Self-Defense, Criminal Minds), while leading US entertainment publication Deadline praised the film’s ambition, saying it took “a lot of bravado” to pull off what its filmmakers and cast accomplish.
K Callan, currently starring alongside Matthew Rhys in Apple TV’s hit series Widow’s Bay, first met Luca on Grey’s Anatomy. She said:
“I’ve watched Luca’s journey from project to project, but nothing prepared me for Bravado. It’s compelling, fun, full of twists and turns, and the performances are sensational. The whole film is the complete package.”
The film follows Amy, played by Caitlin Morris (Detox, Bonus Time, Dominus), a talented screenwriter whose breakthrough script brings her into the orbit of acclaimed but troubled director Patrick Lombardi, played by Malacrino. As their creative relationship intensifies, Bravado becomes a film within a film, with a Cardiff-shot mafia sequence carrying one of its strongest Welsh family connections.
According to Luca:
“If Whiplash and Nightcrawler had a child obsessed with screenwriting, with one foot in Hollywood and the other in Cardiff, you’d have a pretty good idea of what Bravado feels like.”
The film was produced by Luca Malacrino, Alex Hanno, Rebecca Hardy, Dom Lenoir and Apoorv Arora and directed by Alex Hanno, with Cardiff producer and filmmaker Rebecca Hardy leading the Wales side of the production.
Producer Rebecca Hardy said:
“As a filmmaker who lives and works in Wales, and a huge advocate for films being made here, Bravado was a brilliant opportunity to show what can happen when Welsh and US producers collaborate, even on a small budget, and what can be achieved through creativity, collaboration and cultural inclusion.”
Giovanni Malacrino said:
“As well as feeding our wonderful loyal customers for over four decades, we’ve fed plenty of names from the film world. So when my son asked if he could put the family restaurant on screen, and asked me to play a part, it was a dream come true.”
Bravado will return to Wales for special screenings later this year before its full release in 2027.
For Luca, bringing the film home will be every bit as significant as its Hollywood premiere.
He added:
“Cardiff and Giovanni’s are part of who I am. It’s my family, my childhood and where my story began. Premiering in Hollywood was incredible, but bringing Bravado home will be something else. I can’t wait for Welsh audiences to see Cardiff on screen, and my dad make his big screen debut as a mafia don!”
Follow Bravado’s journey, Wales & US screenings and release news:
Press & Media notes:
For all press enquires and requests for interview, please contact:
Nia Medi | Medi Public Relations | nia@medipr.co.uk | www.medipr.co.uk
🎥 Trailer: https://youtu.be/1vkzEtuatmE
📸 Press photos: https://we.tl/t-E5a1KikQV09hHCww
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