With his triumphant directorial debut, The Club Kid, Jordan Firstman delivered something unexpected at the Cannes Film Festival: pure honesty. The film received immediate rave reviews from film critics, and received a rapturous six-minute standing ovation from the audience inside the Theater Claude Debussy, during which Firstman tearfully kissed co-star Diego Calva and then lifted his young co-star in his arms to cheers from the audience.
“Club Kid,” which will be performed during the festival’s “Un Certain Regard” section, follows a down-and-out New York City party promoter who is forced to turn his life around when an unexpected visitor arrives. In addition to First Man, the comedy-drama also stars Cara Delevingne, Diego Calva, Miss Benny, and newcomers Reggie Absolom and Eldar Isgandarov.
Firstman is widely known as a young, gay, outspoken comedian and socialite with an appetite for substances, sex, and relationships. With “Club Kid,” he proved to the premiere audience that he had depth beyond the New York dance dungeons.
Before the screening, he introduced the film and joked about the name of the Debussy Theater, making the audience in the theater burst into laughter. The director and star joked, “It’s an honor to perform at the Debussy Theater. I love Debussy. I never get tired of Debussy. I could live in Debussy. And I can’t wait for my film to be shown there.”
First Man brought dramatic chops with his usual pop-humor sensibilities, but the strong supporting cast also proved a discovery. Absolom, now 13, played himself the lovable but complex son whose First Man character never knew he was the father. As a returning guest, Isgandarov drew laughs alongside Hollywood veteran Colleen Camp (who played the eccentric neighbor). Singer, performer, and DJ Saturn Raishin 9 also appeared in a small role, playing one of the party buddies who understands the undercurrent of First Man’s hedonism and loves him anyway.
Firstman is best known for his skits on Instagram and TikTok, as well as TV appearances on Rachel Sennott’s I Love LA, Ms. Marvel, The English Teacher, and a guest appearance on Hux. He has previously written and directed two short films, 2016’s Call Your Father and 2017’s Men Don’t Whisper, which premiered at Sundance. He also starred in the black comedy thriller Rotting in the Sun (2023), directed by Sebastian Silva, in which he played himself. Last year, he released his debut comedy album “Secrets,” which was based on confessions sent to his Instagram account by his followers and went viral.
Club Kid was Firstman’s first film to be screened at the Cannes Film Festival.
