Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi’s La bola negra won the Premio del Público Ciudad de San Sebastián in the Perlak section audience vote, scoring 9.40, the highest mark ever recorded by a Spanish film in the category. The official festival release identifies it as a Spanish-French co-production. The win came less than a day after the film opened in cinemas.
On its first day, 175,000 people bought tickets. La bola negra grossed 1.3 million euros across 414 cinemas in Spain, going straight to number one at the box office. Only Torrente, presidente has had a better opening day for a Spanish film in the last ten years. Even Christopher Nolan’s La Odisea couldn’t match its Spanish debut.
Los Javis built La bola negra from fragments of an unfinished work by Federico García Lorca. Spanning three eras, the story follows men shaped by longing and pain, as well as what they inherit from the past. The cast is just as daring: Guitarricadelafuente, Miguel Bernardeau, Carlos González, and Milo Quifes share scenes with Penélope Cruz, Lola Dueñas, and Glenn Close, bringing generations rarely seen together in Spanish film.
When Calvo and Ambrossi stepped up to accept the award, the moment felt personal. Calvo remembered their early days, when they performed for just 15 people. "They were 15, but they made it a sold out," he said. The contrast with today’s packed theaters was sharp. Ambrossi thanked José Luis Rebordinos, the outgoing festival director, for believing in them and called their technical team "the best in the world."
The Perlak section audience faced tough choices this year: Fatherland by Pawel Pawlikowski and Fjord by Cristian Mungiu were both in the running. La bola negra won the trophy and a 50,000 euro prize. EFE and the official festival release also noted that the Perlak awards recognized the film Naza. Several leading Spanish media outlets reported the audience rating of 9.40. La bola negra arrived in San Sebastián with momentum from other major international festivals.
La bola negra’s rise means more than a win for its makers. It reflects Spanish audiences’ appetite for emotional films that break the usual mold. The film’s quick success at the box office and with critics shows that daring choices can connect beyond the festival crowd. For Los Javis, this is more than a career highlight: it signals that Spanish cinema is ready to stand on its own, telling stories that resonate at home and reach audiences around the world.
