Spain has chosen La Bola Negra for the Best International Feature Film at the Oscars, putting directors Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi in the spotlight. The film follows three generations of queer men and has already drawn attention on the festival circuit.
The Spanish Film Academy announced the selection on September 16, 2026, confirming La Bola Negra as Spain's entry for the 99th Academy Awards. The film premiered at Cannes, where it sparked a bidding war and earned Calvo and Ambrossi the festival's best director prize, shared with Paweł Pawlikowski for Fatherland. That early recognition helped the film gain momentum internationally.
La Bola Negra takes an unusual approach to production. Shot on 35mm film with a budget under $15 million, the team avoided heavy CGI, choosing practical locations and effects to capture the feel of classic war movies. Calvo has cited Apocalypse Now as a major influence, with the film aiming for authenticity over spectacle.
The cast includes Guitarricadelafuente, Miguel Bernardeau, Carlos González, Milo Quifes, Penélope Cruz, Lola Dueñas, and Glenn Close. Cruz and Close appear in small but impressive roles, adding international recognition without drawing focus from the basic ensemble. Several industry sources describe the film as a Spanish-French co-production.
Ambrossi described the film's vision as intentionally bold: “We thought, ‘Let’s make the gayest war movie ever.’ That’s the politics behind this. And no one told us to change it a bit. And now, here we are.” Audiences have responded, and La Bola Negra has built a strong word-of-mouth reputation during its festival run, including a stop at Telluride.
Spain's choice to submit La Bola Negra for the Oscars signals a willingness to support stories that break with tradition and bring often-overlooked voices into mainstream cinema. Its festival success and ambitious production, alongside a well-known cast, position the film as a strong international contender.
