Penélope Cruz’s La Bola Negra (English title: The Black Ball), which premiered at the 79th edition of the Cannes Film Festival Thursday, received a 20-minute ovation at the Grand Théâtre Lumière, as per reports.
According to Deadline, directed by Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, popularly known as Los Javis, the film came close to the record set by Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth, which received a 22-minute standing ovation in 2006.
La Bola Negra is the third Spanish title to debut in the Competition section at Cannes this year and is among the films vying for the Palme d’Or.
Receiving one of the longest applause durations at this year’s festival, the screening saw Cruz and co-directors Calvó and Ambrossi in tears as the crowd cheered, as per Outlook.
In their speech, Calvó and Ambrossi said, “Ninety years ago, Federico García Lorca was killed by fascism because he was gay. So, to everyone who thinks that we are gonna step back in our LGBT rights, we have bad news. Because we are here to stay. So, thank you. Cannes Festival, thank you. Long live Cannes. For the opportunity, thank you. May we all truly know that we are in the same fight.”
The premiere was attended by Cruz along with her co-stars Guitarricadelafuente, Carlos González, Miguel Bernardeau, Milo Quifes and Lola Dueñas. Also present were co-directors and co-writers Javier Calvó and Javier Ambrossi.
The film’s official synopsis reads: “La bola negra tells the interconnected stories of three men in three different eras. Three lives intimately linked by sexuality and desire, pain and inheritance, and one of the last unfinished works by Spanish poet Federico García Lorca.”
The film is backed by Movistar Plus+ and Suma Content Films, and co-produced by Pedro Almodóvar’s El Deseo and Le Pacte.