 |
CARABINIERI 7 FILMED IN MALTA
Two episodes of the famous Italian TV series Carabinieri are being shot on location in Malta with the Italian duo Chiara Ricci and Walter Nudo as the main actors.
Yesterday the filming took place at the Vittoriosa Waterfront, where monti open air market stalls were put up opposite the Casinò di Venezia. A Maltese girl, Andrea Gafà, had her moment of glory, when while tending to her fish stall, she was asked to instead play an enamoured girl eating strawberries.
During the filming session the crew and cast were joined by Tourism and Culture Minister Francis Zammit Dimech, who reiterated the country’s hospitality towards the Italian crew.
Hospitality was indeed central to the event, as the two actors and director Raffaele Mertes pointed out.
Mr Nudo, a former boxer and the winner of the first edition of L’Isola dei Famosi, the Italian version of Celebrity Survivor! said the Maltese were very welcoming and he felt as if he was still in Italy as people recognised him in the streets. Ms Ricci, a model and an MTV Italia presenter, said that she felt very much at home while walking in Malta. The two actors said this was the first time they were here but they would surely come back for a holiday, as they did not have enough time for sightseeing, given their busy working schedule. However, Mr Nudo showed off his knowledge of Malta as he expressed his wish of seeing Caravaggio’s Beheading of St John at St John’s Co-Cathedral.
Mr Mertes said his team was very happy to be in Malta. He pointed out that Malta would not simply serve as a location, but the episodes were actually set in Malta. He said that this was quite different from the usual big American movies shot in Malta, in which the island stands in for other places. Mr Mertes said the two episodes of Carabinieri will portray Malta in all its beauty.
Minister Zammit Dimech said the Malta Tourism Authority was working hard on a strategy aimed at promoting Malta as a filming location, especially when stories are set here. This strategy has already been successful in attracting the filming of three episodes of the British soap opera Coronation Street. The minister announced also that some episodes of the popular Austrian police Kommissar Rex will be shot in Malta in the future.
The authority has established a number of contacts during the Ischia Film Festival which have materialised in a Russian movie, The Man of East, which will soon be on show throughout Russia, as well as a Danish production called The Maltese Templars. This film features the quest of two children for their ancestor who was a grand master of an order associated with Malta. The script was written by one of the authors of the award winning movie Pocahontas.
Malta will also be the location for a documentary-fiction based on the mysterious death of Maltese Baroque sculptor Melchiorre Gafà.
MTA spokespersons told this newspaper that all production teams praised Malta’s hospitality and its flexibility, as they can film in different locations that are only a few minutes’ drive away as well as taking advantage of the island’s long sunlight hours. They also thanked the local councils for their cooperation during the various shooting that took place around the island.
The two Carabinieri episodes being shot in Malta will be aired on Italian Canale 5 at the beginning of next year. These shots are part of the seventh season of the popular Italian fiction. Nudo and Ricci will play two carabinieri (Italian gendarmerie) incognito in Malta.
Author: Bernard Busutil
Source: The Malta Independent
|
|
 |
|
|
|
by
ICON Studios
)
