Los Javis trace La Bola Negra to Lorca ahead of TIFF premiere
Four pages left behind by Spanish poet Federico García Lorca became the starting point for La Bola Negra, directors Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi told Deadline in Toronto.
Calvo described Lorca as gay and murdered by fascism. He said the film-makers found four pages of unfinished work by Lorca. That fragment was the first play Lorca had planned with a gay main character.
Calvo and Ambrossi, known together as Los Javis, directed the film from a script they wrote with Alberto Conejero. The story is built as a triptych, a three-part tale spanning nearly a century of Spanish history from the 1930s to modern day. It centres on three men connected through desire, pain and inheritance, and explores LGBT heritage.
The pair spoke at Deadline’s Toronto studio alongside Penélope Cruz, Guitarricadelafuente, Miguel Bernardeau, Carlos González and Milo Quifes. Ambrossi said the film was intended as a tribute to older generations who fought for LGBTQ+ rights. Calvo named Lorca as the inspiration.
La Bola Negra is listed as a Spain-France production and a Canadian Premiere in TIFF’s Special Presentations, a showcase for high-profile titles, according to TIFF. Its first screening was listed for Tuesday, 15 September at the Princess of Wales Theatre. The running time is 160 minutes.
Netflix is listed as the US distributor for the film. In Spain, Elástica set an October 2026 release, Deadline reported in May. Calvo and Ambrossi will also be honoured with the Director Award for the film.
The duo come from theatre and work as actors as well as writers, directors and producers. Deadline has described La Bola Negra as Los Javis’ Cannes breakout in its trailer coverage. TIFF also hosted a separate talk, The Ankler’s Prestige Junkie with Los Javis, to discuss the film.
What makes this stand out for a general audience is the bridge between past and present. The film links a 1930s poet who never finished his play with young men living now. That chain of inheritance is the story Los Javis said they wanted to put on screen.
