Penelope Cruz Lights Up Los Javis’ Queer García Lorca Epic ‘The Black Ball,’ Earning 16-Minute Cannes Ovation
Penelope Cruz stars in 'The Black Ball,' a queer epic that premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, receiving a 16-minute standing ovation. The film, directed by Los Javis, explores the lives of three gay men across different eras in Spanish history. It draws inspiration from Federico García Lorca's unfinished work and addresses themes of desire and loss amidst societal rejection.
- ▪The film premiered in competition at the Cannes Film Festival and received a 16-minute standing ovation.
- ▪It traces the interconnected lives of three gay men across three different eras: 1932, 1937, and 2017.
- ▪The screenplay was co-written by Ambrossi, Calvo, and playwright Alberto Conejero, based on García Lorca's unfinished novel.
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| Original publisher | Variety |
| Canonical URL | https://variety.com/2026/film/festivals/penelope-cruz-los-javis-queer-garcia-lorca-epic-the-black-ball-cannes-ovation-1236741563/ |
| Publication time | Thu, 21 May 2026 20:23:40 +0000 |
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Home Film Festivals May 21, 2026 1:23pm PT Penelope Cruz Lights Up Los Javis’ Queer García Lorca Epic ‘The Black Ball,’ Earning 16-Minute Cannes Ovation By Naman Ramachandran Plus Icon Naman Ramachandran Latest Supriya Pathak Kapur Makes Directing Debut With India-Australia Co-Production ‘Our Story’ (EXCLUSIVE) 5 hours ago Tilda Swinton Says AI ‘Doesn’t Have a Chance’ Against Cinema That Avoids Formula at Cannes Masterclass 6 hours ago MC Jin, Pacific Music Group Launch Family Style Records Imprint (EXCLUSIVE) 7 hours ago See All Getty Images Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo’s “The Black Ball” (La Bola Negra) a queer epic spanning 85 years of Spanish history and inspired by an unfinished fragment by Federico García Lorca, premiered in competition at the Cannes Film Festival on Thursday to…
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