La Bola Negra Takes London Film Festival Audience Award

On November 4, Spanish director pair Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi said their film La Bola Negra had received the BFI London Film Festival’s audience award. The filmmakers, known together as Los Javis, thanked viewers who attended and voted for the movie, calling the recognition especially meaningful to them.

The drama had its London premiere on October 8, with audiences filling the screening. It follows three men whose lives are linked across 1932, 1937 and 2017, exploring queer identity, forbidden love and how personal histories can be remembered or erased.

Penélope Cruz, Glenn Close and Miguel Bernardeau star, alongside Lola Dueñas, Carlos González and musician Guitarricadelafuente, making his feature acting debut. The film draws inspiration from an unfinished work by Spanish literary figure Federico García Lorca, who wrote poetry and plays, as well as a stage work by Alberto Conejero.

Spain has selected La Bola Negra to represent it in the 2027 Academy Awards’ international feature category. It is also nominated in the international independent-film category at the British Independent Film Awards.

Altitude is set to release the film in cinemas in the United Kingdom and Ireland on November 6.