The 79th edition of the Cannes Film Festival has awarded the prize for best direction to Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, known as Los Javis, for their film La bola negra. This award, shared ex aequo with Paweł Pawlikowski, marks a significant boost for the Spanish directors' international careers.
The film, which competed in the official selection, tells a Spanish story spanning three different eras (1932, 1937, and 2017), united by desire, pain, and heritage. Among the select group of films chosen, La bola negra shared the spotlight with works by renowned directors such as Pedro Almodóvar, Rodrigo Sorogoyen, and Asghar Farhadi.
One of the most notable connections of La bola negra to the province of Castellón is its cast, led by Guitarricadelafuente, the artistic name of Álvaro Lafuente, who was born in Benicàssim. The musician plays Sebastián, one of the three protagonists of the story, alongside Milo Quifes and Carlos González.
This recognition places Benicàssim on the global cinematic map, associating the municipality, known for its festivals and Mediterranean culture, with one of the world's major film events through an artist who has brought his sensibility to Cannes.
Guitarricadelafuente's acting debut comes from the creators of hits like La llamada, Paquita Salas, and Veneno. The film features a stellar cast including names like Penélope Cruz, Glenn Close, and Lola Dueñas. International press, such as Infobae, highlights the mix of established actors and young talents, with the Benicàssim musician being one of the key bets.
The connection between Guitarricadelafuente's musical universe and the film is evident. His artistic identity, shaped by tradition, folk songs, and a recognizable contemporary aesthetic, aligns with the ambition of Los Javis, who in La bola negra explore themes such as memory, desire, and repression, drawing inspiration from the work of Federico García Lorca.
The Cannes Film Festival describes La bola negra as a narrative that explores sexuality, desire, pain, and heritage through three men in different eras, taking an unfinished work by Federico García Lorca as its starting point. The film addresses historical memory and homosexual repression, reflecting the recent work of Los Javis, which combines popular emotion, queer memory, and a vocation to reach broad audiences with a political perspective.
The award for best direction solidifies Los Javis's international standing. For the province of Castellón, the news signifies the establishment of a local artist, Guitarricadelafuente, as a key figure in a film awarded at one of the world's most influential festivals. The trajectory of the musician from Benicàssim, from social media to international arthouse cinema, exemplifies local talent with global reach.
