Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi’s “La Bola Negra” is heading to cinemas this fall, with Netflix positioning the ambitious Spanish-language drama as a major awards contender.
Known collectively as Los Javis, the filmmakers shared the Best Director award at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival with Paweł Pawlikowski for “Fatherland”. “La Bola Negra” has also gained momentum after winning the top prize in the People’s Choice Awards at the Toronto International Film Festival, traditionally considered an important indicator of awards-season success.
The film will open in select cinemas on October 16, marking Netflix’s longest theatrical release window to date.
A story spanning a century
“La Bola Negra” is inspired by an unfinished play by Spanish poet and playwright Federico García Lorca, one of the leading figures of the Generation of ’27.
Lorca, who was gay, was killed in 1936 during the Spanish Civil War by forces associated with Francisco Franco. His remains have never been definitively located.
The film expands on Lorca’s unfinished work through three interconnected stories involving gay men across different periods of Spanish history.
The first is set in 1932 and follows Carlos, played by Milo Quife, a young man seeking membership in his father’s casino who faces accusations about his sexuality.
The second story takes place in 1937 and draws on Alberto Conejero’s play “La piedra oscura”. Sebastián, a musician who has become a Nationalist soldier, develops a relationship with prisoner Rafael Rodríguez Rapún, played by Miguel Bernardeau. Rapún was Lorca’s real-life partner.
The final storyline takes place in 2017 and centres on Alberto, portrayed by Carlos González, a history graduate student researching queer music from the 1920s. His research takes an unexpected turn after the death of his previously distant maternal grandfather.
A high-profile cast
The film features Lola Dueñas and Penélope Cruz alongside Glenn Close, who performs in Spanish, as well as Julio Torres and Yenesi.
The score was composed by Raül Refree, while Guitarricadelafuente wrote and performs the original song “La Nieve”.
With its multiple timelines, connections to Lorca’s unfinished work and high-profile cast, “La Bola Negra” is emerging as one of Netflix’s most prominent films of the 2026 awards season.
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