‘La Bola Negra’ Directing Duo Los Javis Reveal How Spanish Sensation Became “The Journey Of Our Lives”

Spanish directing duo Los Javis say their film *La Bola Negra*, which became a sensation at Cannes, grew from a desire to recover stories of gay men and performers who were persecuted and largely forgotten. The film is Spain’s entry for the best international feature film Oscar and follows three connected stories across different periods of the country’s history.

The story spans 1932, during rising intolerance of homosexuality; the Spanish Civil War in 1937; and Madrid in 2017, where a playwright connects with a Lorca scholar played by Glenn Close. Penélope Cruz has a small but pivotal role as a singer inspired by early 20th-century cuplé performer La Fornarina. Los Javis say the film had a budget of about $15 million, large by Spanish film standards, and they hope to make their next feature mostly in English.