‘La Bola Negra’ Directing Duo Los Javis Reveal How Spanish Sensation Became “The Journey Of Our Lives”
Los Javis, the Spanish directing duo Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo, say their film La Bola Negra grew from a desire to recover stories of gay men and performers who were persecuted and forgotten. The three-period drama has drawn attention at Cannes and been selected as Spain’s entry for the best international feature film Oscar.
The film follows three gay men in Spain in 1932, 1937 and 2017, with Penélope Cruz playing Nené Romero, a singer who performs for soldiers during the Civil War. The directors drew on the life of cupletista La Fornarina and the writings of Álvaro Retana; the roughly $15 million budget was large by Spanish film standards. Glenn Close also appears as a Federico García Lorca scholar, speaking Spanish.
- Los Javis made La Bola Negra to revive overlooked stories of queer history.
- The film spans three periods in Spain and features Penélope Cruz.
- Its roughly $15 million budget was large for a Spanish production.