Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo’s “The Black Ball” (La Bola Negra) a queer epic spanning 85 years of Spanish history and inspired by an unfinished fragment by Federico García Lorca, premiered in competition at the Cannes Film Festival on Thursday to a 16-minute standing ovation.
The premiere marks the Cannes competition debut for the filmmaking duo known collectively as Los Javis, who have built an ardent international following with the series “Veneno” and “La Mesías.”
The duo said in a visibly emotional speech while the applause continued, “Ninety years ago, Federico García Lorca was killed by fascism because he was gay. So, to everyone who thinks that we are gonna step back in our LGBT rights, I have bad news. Because we are here to stay. So, thank you. Cannes Festival, thank you. Long live Cannes. For the opportunity, thank you. May we all truly know that we are in the same fight.”
“The Black Ball” traces the interconnected lives of three gay men across three eras – 1932, 1937, and 2017 – braiding together stories of desire, loss, and what one generation bequeaths to the next. The film’s title alludes to a mode of social rejection: a black ball cast into a voting urn to deny a young gay man entry into a Granada club. Glenn Close appears in a supporting role alongside Guitarricadelafuente – the beloved Spanish singer-songwriter, making his screen debut – Miguel Bernardeau, Carlos González, Milo Quifes and Lola Dueñas, with Penelope Cruz contributing an extended cameo.
Ambrossi and Calvo co-wrote the screenplay with playwright Alberto Conejero, drawing on García Lorca’s four surviving pages of an unfinished novel – written before the poet was murdered by Nationalist forces in 1936 – as well as on Conejero’s play “La piedra oscura.” The film was shot over 12 weeks across Castile and León, Cantabria, Andalusia and Madrid, with additional filming in Greece. Key crew from “La Mesías” returned for the production, including cinematographer Gris Jordana and composer Raül Refree. “The Black Ball” is also the first film produced under Suma Content Films, the new cinema division of Los Javis’ production company.
Ambrossi and Calvo have been among the most exciting voices in Spanish screen culture since their debut feature “Holy Camp!” They broke out internationally with “Veneno,” their HBO Max series about Spanish trans activist and entertainer Cristina Ortiz, and further cemented their reputation with “La Mesías,” which premiered at San Sebastián, became the first Spanish series at Sundance, and swept the Feroz and Forqué awards. “The Black Ball” is their first feature in the Cannes official Selection and is in contention for both the Palme d’Or and the Queer Palm.
“The Black Ball” is co-produced by Movistar Plus+, Suma Content Films, El Deseo and Le Pacte, with international sales handled by Goodfellas. The film opens theatrically in Spain on Oct. 2 via Elastica Films.
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