La Bola Negra

Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi's new film, for which the duo won the Best Director Award at the Cannes Film Festival, begins in 1937, when, during the Spanish Civil War, a small-town trumpeter, Sebastián (Guitarricadelafuente), is conscripted into the Nationalist forces and falls in love with a Republican prisoner called Rafael (Miguel Bernardeau). Their story intertwines with the lives of two other men: while in 1932, Carlos (Milo Quifes) fears the ostracism that awaits him if the town's influential members find out he is gay, in 2017, the aimless writer, Alberto (Carlos González) discovers a family legacy that connects him to Sebastián and Carlos.

The Black Ball, an adaptation of one of Federico García Lorca's unfinished works, is a grand love story. Calvo and Ambrossi follow, with contemporary sensibility, three young men trying to find happiness amid the labyrinth of history. Alongside the young Spanish talents Guitarricadelafuente, Milo Quifes, and Carlos González, the film also features international stars such as Penélope Cruz and Glenn Close.

Cannes Film Festival – Best Director Award
Toronto International Film Festival – Special Presentation

Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo, the creative duo known in Spain as Los Javis, gained international recognition when they won the Best Director award at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival. Ambrossi and Calvo are among the most celebrated gay filmmakers in contemporary Spanish cinema. A major influence on them is Pedro Almodóvar, whose production company, El Deseo, also contributed to the making of The Black Ball. The creative duo is behind such successful series as the 2020 Veneno, which follows the life of a transgender sex worker turned media celebrity, and the 2023 thriller series La Mesías. The latter even caught the attention of Glenn Close, who reached out to them about a potential collaboration after seeing the series. True to the spirit of Almodóvar, Ambrossi and Calvo view filmmaking as a collage into which they can incorporate everything they love. They boldly challenge taboos, freely mix genres, and blend the traditions of Spanish realism with elements of contemporary pop culture.

Holy Camp (2017)

Original title: La Bola Negra
Directors: Javier Calvo, Javier Ambrossi
Cast: Guitarricadelafuente, Miguel Bernardeau, Carlos González, Milo Quifes, Lola Dueñas, Julio Torres, Penélope Cruz, Glenn Close
Cinematography: Gris Jordana
Screenwriter: Javier Calvo, Javier Ambrossi, Alberto Conejero
Producers: Javier Calvo, Javier Ambrossi
Editor: Alberto Gutiérrez
Music: Raül Refree
Hungarian Distributor: Mozinet
Colour: colour
Run Time: 160 mins