The Black Ball
Nominees and Awards
- ★ 2026 Best Director, Cannes FF
- ★ 2026 GIO Audience Award of International Feature, Sydney FF
Synopsis
Set across three time periods (1932, 1937, and 2017), The Black Ball opens in 1937 during the rise of fascism in Spain. We follow Sebastián, whose village is destroyed before he is conscripted into the fascist army, where he forms a bond with an enemy prisoner. In the second story, set five years earlier, a young scion is black-balled and denied entry into his father’s social club because of rumours about his sexuality. And in the third instalment, set 85 years later, gay historian Alberto is informed he has inherited something from a grandfather he never knew.
Team
Director
Javier AMBROSSI
Javier AMBROSSI and Javier CALVO are an acclaimed Spanish writing, directing, and producing duo known as “Los Javis.” Creators of Paquita Salas, Veneno, and La Mesías, they are celebrated for inclusive storytelling and innovative television. In 2026, they won Best Director at Cannes for The Black Ball.
Director
Javier CALVO
Javier AMBROSSI and Javier CALVO are an acclaimed Spanish writing, directing, and producing duo known as “Los Javis.” Creators of Paquita Salas, Veneno, and La Mesías, they are celebrated for inclusive storytelling and innovative television. In 2026, they won Best Director at Cannes for The Black Ball.
