After landing the Cannes Film Festival sensation “La Bola Negra” in a competitive bidding war, Netflix has now set an awards season rollout for the gay epic drama.
The film will debut on the streamer Dec. 4, preceded by a theatrical run on Nov. 6 – further indicating its plan for an awards season push. No details were given on how wide that theatrical rollout would be.
The sweeping drama, which was directed, co-written and produced by the Spanish duo Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi (known as Los Javis), notably lit up the Croisette and tied for the Best Director prize at the festival’s closing ceremony. Los Javis co-wrote the film with Alberto Conejero, as well as produced alongside Jorge Pezzi.
“La Bola Negra” tells the interconnected stories of three men in three different eras. Three lives intimately linked by sexuality and desire, pain and inheritance, and one of Federico García Lorca’s last, unfinished works.
“When we began writing ‘La Bola Negra,’ we wanted to tell a story about freedom, legacy and the importance of LGBTQ+ visibility,” Calvo and Ambrossi said in a joint statement. “Above all, we wanted to honor the generations of people whose courage and sacrifice made our freedoms possible today. We couldn’t imagine a better home than Netflix to bring this story to audiences across the United States. We are deeply grateful and excited that its message will reach millions of viewers and help carry Federico García Lorca’s legacy to audiences around the world. This is the beginning of an extraordinary new chapter for ‘La Bola Negra,’ and we can’t wait for audiences to discover it.”
In his review of the film, TheWrap’s Zachary Lee wrote: “From the directing duo known as Los Javis’ rattling opening to its devastating coda, it’s one of those rare films that feels both old and new. It’s rife with ingenious and technical marvels and sequences that rank among cinema’s best while also telling a very classical story about honoring those who’ve come before us, making space for the stories of those we may never meet, and acting as a celebration of those who never gave up on their love even when it was punishable by death.”
The film stars Spanish music sensation Guitarricadelafuente in his acting debut, Miguel Bernardeau, Carlos González, Milo Quifes, Lola Duenas, Julio Torres, Penélope Cruz and Glenn Close.
