Spain Picks ‘La Bola Negra’ for Best International Feature Film Race
The Spanish-language epic, from the nicknamed “Los Javis,” was the breakout winner from Cannes and launched competitive bidding war, which Netflix won.
The Cannes breakout title recounts the story of three generations of queer men whose lives are connected through love and loss, and was written (with Alberto Conejero), directed and produced by “Los Javis.”
It became the subject of a competitive bidding war after its May 21 world premiere in Cannes, where Los Javis were awarded the fest’s best director prize for the film in a tie with Paweł Pawlikowski for Fatherland.
The cast includes Guitarricadelafuente, Miguel Bernardeau, Carlos González, Milo Quifes, Penélope Cruz, Lola Dueñas and U.S. Oscar-winning superstar Glenn Close.
The Javis spoke about the movie becoming a bona fide word-of-mouth hit.
Made for under $15 million, the Spanish-language drama offers immense scope, which was by design. “We thought, ‘Let’s make the gayest war movie ever,’” Ambrossi said. “That’s the politics behind this. And no one told us to change it a bit. And now, here we are.”
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Gay Directors, Gay Films? Emanuel Levy (Columbia University Press)
The movie was made with reverence for great war films like Apocalypse Now, using minimal CGI and making the most of every practical location, extra and visual effect they had at their disposal.
La Bola Negra was also shot on 35mm, and brought in star power via small but pivotal roles for Glenn Close and Penelope Cruz.
Netflix will release La Bola Negra in theaters on October 16 before streaming 47 days later on Dec. 2, the longest theatrical-exclusive window in the company’s history.
