‘La Bola Negra’ Trailer: Netflix’s Oscar Contender Is a Time-Bending Queer Epic That Won Best Director at Cannes
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Netflix has released the official trailer for "La Bola Negra" ("The Black Ball"), a Spanish-language queer epic from directors Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi (Los Javis) that won the Best Director Award at Cannes following its May premiere. The trailer confirms the full principal cast and reveals that the film will get an unusually long theatrical run before streaming, positioning it as a serious Netflix awards contender.
Spanning 1932, 1937 and 2017, the film traces the interconnected lives of three gay men and is inspired by an unfinished Federico García Lorca work and Alberto Conejero's play "La Piedra Oscura". The cast is led by musician Guitarricadelafuente in his acting debut, alongside Penélope Cruz, Glenn Close, Miguel Bernardeau and Alberto Cortés as Lorca, with an original song by Guitarricadelafuente and a score by Raül Refree. It opens in Spain on 25 September, followed by a US theatrical release from 16 October and a Netflix streaming debut on 2 December — the longest theatrical window Netflix has granted a film, surpassing the record previously held by 2019's "Marriage Story".
- Netflix drops trailer for Cannes Best Director winner "La Bola Negra"
- Stars Guitarricadelafuente, Penélope Cruz and Glenn Close
- Gets Netflix's longest-ever theatrical window before streaming on 2 December
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La Bola Negra is a Spanish-language film directed by Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, the duo known as Los Javis, who won the Best Director prize at the Cannes Film Festival after the film premiered there in May. It moves between three different time periods and follows three gay men whose lives are connected across the decades, drawing inspiration from an unfinished work by the poet Federico García Lorca and a play by Alberto Conejero.
The cast includes Penélope Cruz and Glenn Close alongside Spanish actors Miguel Bernardeau and Alberto Cortés, with musician Guitarricadelafuente making his acting debut in a lead role and also contributing an original song to the soundtrack. Netflix is backing the project as a major awards contender, which is why it is being given a theatrical release in cinemas in Spain and the United States before it becomes available to stream.
The film's release strategy is notable in itself: Netflix, which usually favours short cinema runs, is giving La Bola Negra its longest theatrical window yet for any of its films, ahead of its eventual debut on the streaming service in December.
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