Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo eye Oscar race in New York

Filmmakers Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo brought their movie to New York ahead of its release on Friday. The theatrical run positions their film for major awards contention.

The project follows the interconnected lives of three gay men. The timeline spans the early 20th century, the Spanish Civil War and the modern day. The production cost $15 million.

Expectations are high for the release. The movie is expected to challenge “The Odyssey” for best picture. The work previously screened at festivals in Cannes and Toronto.

Netflix won a bidding war for the rights. The company gave the release a 46-day exclusive window in theaters. That marks the longest cinema run in the platform’s history.

At the Cannes Film Festival, Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo shared the best director award with Pawel Pawlikowski. He directed “Fatherland.” Ambrossi recalled festival director Thierry Frémaux greeting them with praise.

“Thierry Frémaux was like, ‘I love this movie. Who are you?’” Ambrossi said.

The duo, known in Spain as Los Javis, experienced a rapid career shift. Ambrossi is 42. Calvo is 35. The pair used therapy to adjust to their sudden prominence.

“I hear a lot, ‘It was so poetic.’ Maybe audiences aren’t used to that because movies are supposed to be liked by everyone at the same time,” Ambrossi said. “People are asking themselves: Why was I crying?”

Calvo described how audiences connect to the historical themes. The production aims to speak directly to generational feelings.

“Every generation needs that big movie that speaks to their desires, their warmth,” Calvo said. “People really connect to that feeling of: Don’t lose your life, just live. Just make the decision you want to make. We only have now.”

The story opens with the sound of a mournful trumpet. The character Sebastián joins the Nationalist army after a village bombing. Spanish singer-songwriter Guitarricadelafuente plays the musician in his screen debut.

Sebastián becomes infatuated with an imprisoned freedom fighter named Rafael, played by Miguel Bernardeau. Rafael recovers in a military hospital. The plot explores Rafael’s relationship with the poet Federico García Lorca.

The plot details their struggle to preserve Lorca’s writing before his assassination in 1936. Nationalist forces carried out the killing. Lorca had started a text focused on gay identity, dignity and survival.

“It’s a way of honoring our grandparents and our LGBTQ elders,” Calvo said. “They fought for us. They died for us. We were crying on the set every day.”

Ambrossi echoed the importance of remembering that past.

“We have forgotten them,” Ambrossi said. “It was not that long ago. My grandmother is 90. It was yesterday, and we have forgotten that.”

Both filmmakers started out as actors. In Spain, they are recognized celebrities. They have hosted award shows and served on game-show panels.

The pair also served as judges on the Spanish edition of “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” Their projects attracted fans like Penélope Cruz and Glenn Close. Both performers co-star in the new movie.

Master Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodovar served as a producer. During production, Calvo and Ambrossi ended their romantic partnership. They briefly planned to end their professional work together.

“Every project is a road to the unknown and we know we’re going to be different at the end of the road,” Calvo said. “We faced desire, love and all these complex feelings.”

They reversed their decision to split by the time they reached Cannes. They chose to remain collaborators.

“We have been working together forever,” Ambrossi said. “I don’t know what it is to be a director if he’s not there. It’s going to stay that way. We love to work together.”

Calvo agreed that the collaboration remains strong.

“It’s natural to wonder what’s next,” Calvo said. “But we won best director, the two of us. Très chic. It’s like: Yes, we are unstoppable together.”

The movie set box-office records for an independent film in Spain. In September, it won the People’s Choice Award in Toronto. The studio is now introducing the project to New York industry members.

“Netflix understood perfectly that we did a movie for theaters,” Ambrossi said. “Even with the round borders of the 35 mm, it is made for that. But they understood and we understood that it’s a movie with a powerful message, and being with Netflix, it’s going to go directly to the people. It’s a movie that could really change consciousness.”

Filmmakers often manage shared duties across writing, rehearsing and technical design. Teams divide onset responsibilities between actors and camera units during production. Co-directors frequently manage separate logistical tasks simultaneously to control studio costs.

“Being two really helps you,” Ambrossi said. “You can do more with less. He can be rehearsing and I can be thinking about the next day with production design.”