The film was selected by festivalgoers through a public vote, with the British Film Institute announcing the winners
La Bola Negra, the Spanish queer drama directed by Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo, has won the Audience Award for Best Feature Film at the 70th BFI London Film Festival.
The film was selected by festivalgoers through a public vote, with the British Film Institute announcing the winners on November 4. Its recognition follows a successful festival run and growing international attention ahead of the upcoming awards season.
Rooted in the legacy of Spanish poet and playwright Federico García Lorca, La Bola Negra explores queer identity, desire, love and suffering through interconnected stories spanning different periods.
The film received its gala screening at the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall on October 8, attended by directors Ambrossi and Calvo alongside cast members Guitarricadelafuente, Miguel Bernardeau and Penélope Cruz.
Meanwhile, Grace Harper Brighouse’s Dependence won the Audience Award for Best British Discovery. The documentary follows the filmmaker as she revisits decades of home videos following her father’s death, exploring the experience of loving someone struggling with addiction.
The 70th edition of the BFI London Film Festival ran for 12 days, featuring 258 titles from 87 countries across its programme. The festival also recorded its highest-ever audience attendance in London.
The Audience Awards were separate from the festival’s juried competitions, which recognised films including Sergei Loznitsa’s Imperium, winner of the Best Film Award in the Official Competition.
The win adds to the growing recognition of La Bola Negra, which has also been selected to represent Spain in the Best International Feature Film category at the 2027 Academy Awards.
The film stars Guitarricadelafuente, Miguel Bernardeau, Carlos González, Milo Quifes, Lola Dueñas, Glenn Close and Penélope Cruz. It marks another major achievement for the directing duo, widely known as Los Javis, as the film continues its international awards campaign.
