Spain Sends La Bola Negra to the 2027 Oscars
Spain has sent a three-century love story to the Oscars.
La Bola Negra, directed by Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo, will represent Spain in the Best International Feature Film category at the 2027 Oscars, the award for films made outside the United States, according to Deadline. The Spanish Film Academy confirmed the choice in September after shortlisting it alongside El ser querido and Los domingos.
The directors work under the joint name Los Javis. They spoke about the film in an interview published on 16 October. Their last major project was La Mesías, a 2023 television miniseries that was a hit for Movistar+ in Spain.
La Bola Negra follows three gay men in three different periods in Spain. Their stories interlock across time rather than playing as separate episodes.
The earliest thread is set in 1932. Newcomer Milo Quifes plays Carlos. The second thread moves to 1937, during the Spanish Civil War. Guitarricadelafuente plays Sebastián and Miguel Bernardeau plays Rafael, two soldiers fighting on opposing sides. The third thread is set in Madrid in 2017. Carlos González plays Alberto, a playwright.
Penélope Cruz plays Nené Romero, a singer who entertains troops. The character was inspired by La Fornarina, a cupletista — a Spanish cabaret-style singer — who performed in Madrid theatres around the turn of the last century. Glenn Close also appears as a scholar of poet Federico García Lorca, speaking fluent Spanish.
The filmmakers arrive with festival momentum. La Bola Negra played in Official Selection at the Cannes Film Festival, according to Festival de Cannes, where Los Javis won the directing prize. Cannes describes the film as the story of a culture, a landscape and a collective memory.
What makes this stand out is the scale. The film runs 155 minutes and spans almost 90 years of Spanish life. A trailer has been released ahead of awards season, according to Deadline.
Spain's international record gives the selection extra weight. The country submits one film each year, and the final Oscar shortlist is decided by Academy voters later in the season.
