The film “La Bola Negra,” directed by Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, has been selected by the Spanish Film Academy to represent Spain in the Best International Feature category at the 2027 Oscars.
It stars Penélope Cruz and was the clear favorite after winning Best Director at Cannes and receiving strong support from Netflix. It was chosen from a shortlist of some of the leading Spanish films of the year, with the news unveiled by director Alejandro Amenábar, who won the Oscar in 2005 for “Mar Adentro.” He was joined by the president of the Academy, Fernando Méndez-Leite, and notary Eva Fernández Medina.
What is La Bola Negra about?
“La Bola Negra” is a moving and ambitious love story inspired by the unfinished work of Federico García Lorca. Written and directed by Los Javis, as they’re popularly known, the film won an award at Cannes and will premiere on September 20 at the San Sebastián Film Festival.
© Getty ImagesIt’s one of the most buzzed-about films of the year and a big contender come awards season, with Variety tipping it as one of the major contenders for numerous awards, including Best International Feature and Best Picture.
It stars an ensemble cast that includes seasoned divas like Penélope Cruz, Glenn Close and Lola Dueñas, but also established Spanish actors like Miguel Bernardeau, and newcomers like musician Guitarricadelafuente, Carlos González and Milo Quifes.
The Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem story
This year Penélope Cruz has beaten Javier Bardem. The actor is the star of “El Ser Querido,” another of the Spanish films hoping to represent their nation at the Oscars. He and his film have now fallen out of the international race.
Notably, Bardem starred in “Mar Adentro,” the last Spanish film to win the Oscar for Best International Film.
Bardem and Cruz, besides being rivals in this internal race, continue to appear together in Florian Zeller’s thriller “Bunker,” which is also an awards-season contender and received a standing ovation at the Venice Film Festival.
© Corbis via Getty ImagesBardem joked about this rivalry with his wife in the race to the Oscars a few days ago. “There are three films; she’s in one of them, I’m in another. So we don’t talk about it much at home,” he said with a laugh. Then he added, “I think it’s wonderful that there’s so much quality in Spanish cinema — there always has been, and this is a clear example of it.”
The Spanish Film Academy’s selection does not guarantee a nomination — Los Javis’ film will still need to clear two rounds of voting by the Hollywood Academy.
The 99th Academy Awards will take place on March 14 of next year, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Before that, there are two rounds the Javis must clear: a shortlist on December 15, when the 15 preselected films in the Best International Feature category will be announced, and the final announcement, revealing the five nominees, on January 21.
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