Netflix has acquired U.S. rights to the Cannes Film Festival competition title La Bola Negra, known in English as The Black Ball, in a deal reported to be in the $4 to $5 million range, making it one of the largest domestic deals ever for a non-English-language film. According to Deadline, the deal was brokered by Goodfellas and CAA Media Finance and comes with a multi-week theatrical obligation and plans for an awards campaign.
The Spanish-language film, directed by Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, premiered at Cannes on Thursday to a 20-minute standing ovation. According to Deadline, that ovation comes very near the Cannes record set by Guillermo del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth, which clocked a 22-minute ovation in 2006. The Hollywood Reporter confirmed the Netflix deal on Saturday.
Calvo and Ambrossi, known in Spain as Los Javis, are a creative duo and former couple. The Black Ball is their first feature film since 2017's Holy Camp! The film stars Penélope Cruz and Glenn Close in supporting roles, alongside Spanish musician Guitarricadelafuente and Miguel Bernardeau. It was shot over 12 weeks on 35mm film at locations across Spain, including Castile, León, Cantabria, Andalusia, and Madrid.
The film follows three men across three distinct time periods, 1932, 1937, and 2017, and is built around the last unfinished works of Spanish poet Federico García Lorca. The film's official synopsis describes the stories as "intimately linked by sexuality and desire, pain and inheritance."
The Hollywood Reporter's review described the film as a consideration of lost gay history and praised the directors' technical execution. "Los Javis execute this mighty vision with thrilling technical bravado. 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," the review stated. It added that the film delivers "the heady satisfaction of seeing something ambitious actually land its nervy attempt."
The acquisition followed a competitive bidding war. According to IndieWire, Mubi, A24, and Netflix were all in the mix before Netflix won out. Deadline reported that Neon was also in the race. The sale follows another major bidding showdown at this year's festival for Jordan Firstman's Club Kid, which A24 ultimately acquired.
The project is a Movistar Plus+ and Suma Content Films production, co-produced with Pedro Almodóvar's El Deseo and Le Pacte. Calvo and Ambrossi also collaborated on the screenplay with Alberto Conejero. Elastica will release the film in Spain in October, while Le Pacte is handling the theatrical release in France. The Match Factory is managing international sales. No U.S. release date has been announced yet, though Netflix's acquisition includes plans for an awards campaign.
