Screen/Society--"La Bola Negra" (Javier Ambrossi & Javier Calvo, 2026)

"La Bola Negra" (Javier Ambrossi & Javier Calvo, 2026, 160 min, Spain, Spanish w/ subtitles, DCP)

A bold tapestry spanning nearly a century of Spanish history, this passionate, award-winning epic from Cannes-winning directors Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi tells the story of three generations of men whose lives are intimately connected through desire, pain, and love.

Carlos (Milo Quifes) longs to belong in a fractured Spain. Sebastián (Guitarricadelafuente) finds connection across enemy lines. And Alberto (Carlos González) uncovers a long-buried family secret - one that finally gives voice to truths the past tried to erase. Combined with stunning cinematography and a grand score, the seamlessly converging storylines make for a sweeping and operatic romantic drama that delicately balances collective memory with deeply emotional personal histories. Co-written by Calvo, Ambrossi, and Alberto Conejero, and adapted from Conejero's play 'La Piedra Oscura' ('The Dark Stone').

"A cinematic epic inspired by Federico García Lorca's homonymous unfinished work and Alberto Conejero's play about the tragic destiny of Republican resistance fighter, actor, and footballer Rafael Rodríguez Rapún, a former lover of Lorca. With special appearances by Penélope Cruz and Glenn Close, and starring singer-songwriter Guitarricadelafuente, LA BOLA NEGRA takes an audacious look at Spain's past and present through the lens of the traumatic period of the Spanish Civil War, and its consequences for the sentimental lives of families and secret lovers shaped by tales of resistance and oppression." --MoMA

"A gay, opulent and transcendently monumental work and the best film of the year." --Erik Anderson, Awards Watch

"The gratification of experiencing all the narrative threads coming together is only eclipsed by an awe at the underlying emotional continuity. All these moving parts are positioned to play like one unbroken piece of music. By the final crescendo, time feels like an illusion and the stories of our dead belong to today." --Sophie Monks Kaufman, IndieWire

"Nearly every shot in the film is a carefully composed wonder, either an eye-popping still-life tableau or a breathtaking bit of camera movement, all done up in lush, expensive-looking period detail. It's a dazzlingly assured film, delivering the heady satisfaction of seeing something ambitious actually land its nervy attempt." --Hollywood Reporter