La Bola Negra is coming to theaters throughout the United States and Canada. 

The film recently held its North American premiere at the Telluride Film Festival to a rapturous reception. It will screen next at the Toronto International Film Festival ahead of a traditional platform release beginning in October. 

A bold tapestry spanning nearly a century of Spanish history, La Bola Negra tells the story of three generations of men whose lives are intimately connected through desire, pain, and love in this celebrated film from Cannes-winning directors Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi. You can preview its epic scope in a teaser trailer above.

Set to the tune of Vera Lynn’s “We’ll Meet Again,” the trailer showcases the film’s journey through three distinct moments in time, with sequences set in a small-town casino, the height of the Spanish Civil War, and modern day. “With this film, the central question is what we do with our past, with our inheritance, with the objects and art that remain, with the traces history leaves behind,” Calvo says. 

That preoccupation with the past bleeds into the story’s very structure, which flashes between three generations of characters. “We imagined it very precisely before shooting; even the cuts were already there in the script,” Ambrossi tells Tudum. “If you read the screenplay, it’s extremely close to the finished film. Of course, some things changed, but we really took our time building that narrative architecture.”

The cast includes the celebrated Spanish singer-songwriter Guitarricadelafuente (Spanish Leather), who’s making his acting debut in La Bola Negra. He’s joined by Miguel Bernardeau, Carlos González, and Milo Quifes, among others, with special appearances by Academy Award winner Penélope Cruz and three-time Golden Globe winner Glenn Close.

Read on for more information about La Bola Negra, including a timeline of its theatrical rollout.

Penélope Cruz

Guitarricadelafuente

What is La Bola Negra about?

La Bola Negra follows three generations of men across pivotal moments in Spanish history: 1932, 1937, and 2017. Carlos (Quifes) longs to belong in a fractured Spain. Sebastián (Guitarricadelafuente) finds connection across enemy lines. And Alberto (González) uncovers a long-buried family secret — one that finally gives voice to truths the past tried to erase.

“When we began writing La Bola Negra, we wanted to tell a story about freedom, legacy, and the importance of LGBTQ+ visibility,” say Calvo and Ambrossi, popularly known as Los Javis. “Above all, we wanted to honor the generations of people whose courage and sacrifice made our freedoms possible today.”  

Who is in the cast of La Bola Negra?

La Bola Negra features an extraordinary international cast that includes:

• Guitarricadelafuente as Sebastián
• Miguel Bernardeau (Zorro, Elite) as Rafael Rodríguez Rapún
• Carlos González (Amar es para siempre, Veneno) as Alberto
• Milo Quifes as Carlos 
• Lola Dueñas (La Mesías, The Sea Inside) as Teresa
• Julio Torres (Problemista, Los Espookys) as Juan Pablo
• Penélope Cruz (Vicky Cristina Barcelona, The Invite) as Nené Romero
• Glenn Close (The Deliverance, Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery) as Isabelle

La Bola Negra might not exist if not for the participation of Guitarricadelafuente, who plays the soulful soldier Sebastián. “When we are writing, we try to picture who is going to do it, and then write it for him or her,” Calvo says. “We were already big fans of Guitarrica’s work. With the sensitivity he brings onstage and his beautiful songs and performances, we knew he could do it, that he could act. He’s already telling a story when he’s singing.”

“Guitarrica was such a revelation when we were writing that we were like, ‘If he’s doing it, we can do it. If not, we cannot,’” Ambrossi adds. “The role of Sebastián was that important to us.”

Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo

Is La Bola Negra based on a true story?

La Bola Negra borrows its name from an unfinished play by the influential Spanish playwright and poet Federico García Lorca, who was assassinated in 1936, and explores his legacy through a contemporary lens. Los Javis co-wrote the film with Alberto Conejero, adapted from Conejero’s play La piedra oscura, La bola negra, and other texts by Lorca.

When will La Bola Negra be in movie theaters?

La Bola Negra will have a traditional platform release, opening in New York City and Los Angeles on Oct. 16. In its opening weekend, the film will play at the AMC Century City 15 and AMC Burbank 16 in Los Angeles, and at the Angelika Film Center and the Paris Theater in New York City.

La Bola Negra will screen in 35mm in select locations, including at the Angelika Film Center and the Paris Theater in New York City on its opening weekend, followed by TIFF Lightbox Toronto; Alamo Drafthouse Brooklyn; Landmark Nuart Theatre in Los Angeles; Music Box Theatre in Chicago; Coolidge Corner Theatre in Boston; Angelika Film Center & Café in Dallas; Rialto Cinemas Cerrito in El Cerrito, California; Hollywood Theatre in Portland, Oregon; The Tara in Atlanta; the Sun-Ray Cinema in Tampa, Florida;  the Tower Theatre in Sacramento; and VIFF Vancity Theatre in Vancouver, British Columbia.   

Calvo and Ambrossi, along with members of the cast, will participate in select in-theater Q&As in both Los Angeles and New York City. 

Below is a full timeline of La Bola Negra’s theatrical rollout. 

Oct. 16:

• New York City
• Los Angeles

Oct. 23:

• New York City
• Los Angeles
• San Francisco
• Toronto

Oct. 30 (17 markets):

• New York City
• Los Angeles
• San Francisco
• Chicago
• Dallas and Fort Worth
• Houston 
• Atlanta
• Washington
• Boston
• Miami
• San Diego
• Santa Barbara, California
• Palm Springs, California
• Vancouver, Canada
• Montreal
• Austin, Texas

Nov. 6 (70+ markets):

• New York City
• Los Angeles
• San Francisco
• Toronto
• Chicago
• Dallas and Fort Worth
• Houston 
• Atlanta
• Washington
• Boston
• Miami
• San Diego
• Santa Barbara, California
• Palm Springs, California
• Vancouver, Canada
• Montreal
• Philadelphia
• Tampa, Florida
• Phoenix
• Seattle
• Detroit
• Orlando, Florida
• Minneapolis
• Denver
• Cleveland
• Sacramento, California
• Charlotte, North Carolina
• Raleigh, North Carolina
• Portland, Oregon
• St. Louis
• Indianapolis
• Nashville, Tennessee
• Pittsburgh
• Salt Lake City
• Baltimore
• San Antonio
• Kansas City, Missouri
• Columbus, Ohio
• Cincinnati
• West Palm Beach, Florida
• Grand Rapids, Michigan
• Louisville, Kentucky
• New Orleans
• Buffalo, New York
• Richmond, Virginia
• Albany, New York
• Dayton, Ohio
• Tucson, Arizona
• Spokane, Washington
• Des Moines, Iowa
• Omaha, Nebraska
• Portland, Maine
• Rochester, New York
• Charleston, South Carolina
• Iowa City, Iowa
• Boise, Idaho
• Monterey, California
• Billings, Montana
• Puerto Rico
• Ottawa, Ontario
• London, Ontario
• Windsor, Ontario
• Kingston, Ontario
• Winnipeg, Manitoba
• Quebec City
• Calgary, Alberta
• Edmonton, Alberta
• Victoria, British Columbia
• Halifax, Nova Scotia

When will La Bola Negra be on Netflix?

La Bola Negra hits Netflix on Dec. 2 in the US and Canada.

“We couldn’t imagine a better home than Netflix to bring this story to audiences across the United States. We are deeply grateful and excited that its message will reach millions of viewers and help carry Federico García Lorca’s legacy to audiences around the world,” say Ambrossi and Calvo. “This is the beginning of an extraordinary new chapter for La Bola Negra, and we can’t wait for audiences to discover it.”

The film has also been selected for the Toronto International Film Festival’s Special Presentations section. It will have its Canadian premiere at the festival on Sept. 15, and Penélope Cruz will receive a Special Tribute Award at the TIFF Tribute Awards. 

A Movistar Plus+ Original Film in collaboration with Suma Content Films, La Bola Negra is produced by Telefónica Audiovisual Digital and Los Esquiadores AIE, co-produced by El Deseo and Le Pacte, with the participation of Atresmedia and CREA SGR. Goodfellas is handling world sales.