Jordan Firstman’s ‘Club Kid’ Trailer Follows a Nightlife Promoter Confronting Unexpected Fatherhood
Photo Credit: A24
by Chris Tremblay Aug 20
3 MIN READ
A24 released the first trailer for Club Kid on Wednesday, August 19, introducing Jordan Firstman as a New York City club promoter whose hard-partying lifestyle is transformed when he discovers that he has a 10-year-old son.
Firstman wrote and directed the film and plays its central character, a queer nightlife figure whose life has become increasingly disconnected from the future he may want.
The child, portrayed by Reggie Absolom, is described in the film’s official synopsis as a son whom the promoter never knew he had.
The trailer presents the story as a collision between the protagonist’s established social world and the responsibilities of caring for a child, while positioning the relationship between father and son as the film’s emotional center.
A24 plans to release Club Kid in theaters on November 6. Deadline reported that the film will begin with a limited theatrical release, while IndieWire reported that a broader rollout is planned to follow.
Club Kid marks Firstman’s first feature as a writer-director and leading actor.
The film follows Firstman’s increasing visibility across acting and comedy, including appearances in Miracle Workers, Ms. Marvel, Dave, English Teacher, Hacks and I Love LA.
He also starred in Rotting in the Sun, a 2023 comedy that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.
The ensemble cast includes Cara Delevingne, Diego Calva, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Colleen Camp, Vicki Pepperdine, Nigil Whyte, Eldar Isgandarov, Saturn Risin9, Miss Benny and Alaska Riley.
Variety also identified Delevingne, Calva, Howell-Baptiste and Absolom among the film’s principal cast.
Absolom’s previous screen work includes appearances in Apple TV+’s Silo, as well as Testament and The Other Bennet Sister.
Before the trailer’s release, Club Kid premiered at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival in May.
Deadline reported that the film received a seven-minute standing ovation following its Cannes premiere.
The Cannes response reportedly led to a bidding contest among distributors, with A24 acquiring the film for $17 million, according to Variety.
Variety reported that A24, Netflix, Searchlight Pictures, Focus Features and Mubi were among the companies competing for the film.
The reported acquisition places Club Kid among A24’s upcoming theatrical releases and gives the film a commercial path beyond the festival circuit.
Variety described the protagonist as a queer party promoter who has outgrown his place in the nightlife scene.
The film’s premise does not treat queer identity as a problem to be solved; instead, it places a queer adult’s nightlife, relationships and evolving sense of responsibility at the center of a family story.
In a statement reported by Variety, Firstman said that ensuring the queer cast would be fully supported during the promotional tour was important to him.
“In every one of my buyer meetings was vital to me that this cast gets brought out in full to promote the film – flown out, put up, glam paid for, all of it,” Firstman said.
The film’s emotional premise is therefore grounded in an unexpected form of adulthood: a person known for excess and spontaneity must respond to the arrival of a child and consider what kind of life he wants to lead.
Speaking with Deadline at Cannes, Firstman said the project began partly after he spent more time around his friends’ children.
He said the initial idea treated the relationship between an adult and a child as a comic premise, but that the story changed as he wrote it.
Firstman told Deadline that a breakup, his connection to Berlin’s party scene and his own experiences with drug use influenced the film’s exploration of a life at a crossroads.
He said the writing process continued to reveal new elements of the film and of his own relationship to its subject.
Critics have responded positively to the film’s shift from nightlife comedy toward a more emotionally serious story.
Deadline critic Damon Wise called the film “an unlikely but still beautifully human story” and praised Firstman’s move into a more serious tone.
Variety critic Guy Lodge described Club Kid as a “sweet, surprisingly old-fashioned heartwarmer.”
With its trailer now public, Club Kid is set to move from its Cannes launch into the fall theatrical calendar, beginning with its November 6 release.
The child, portrayed by Reggie Absolom, is described in the film’s official synopsis as a son whom the promoter never knew he had.
The trailer presents the story as a collision between the protagonist’s established social world and the responsibilities of caring for a child, while positioning the relationship between father and son as the film’s emotional center.
A24 plans to release Club Kid in theaters on November 6. Deadline reported that the film will begin with a limited theatrical release, while IndieWire reported that a broader rollout is planned to follow.
Firstman’s Feature Debut
Club Kid marks Firstman’s first feature as a writer-director and leading actor.
The film follows Firstman’s increasing visibility across acting and comedy, including appearances in Miracle Workers, Ms. Marvel, Dave, English Teacher, Hacks and I Love LA.
He also starred in Rotting in the Sun, a 2023 comedy that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.
The ensemble cast includes Cara Delevingne, Diego Calva, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Colleen Camp, Vicki Pepperdine, Nigil Whyte, Eldar Isgandarov, Saturn Risin9, Miss Benny and Alaska Riley.
Variety also identified Delevingne, Calva, Howell-Baptiste and Absolom among the film’s principal cast.
Absolom’s previous screen work includes appearances in Apple TV+’s Silo, as well as Testament and The Other Bennet Sister.
Cannes Premiere and A24 Deal
Before the trailer’s release, Club Kid premiered at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival in May.
Deadline reported that the film received a seven-minute standing ovation following its Cannes premiere.
The Cannes response reportedly led to a bidding contest among distributors, with A24 acquiring the film for $17 million, according to Variety.
Variety reported that A24, Netflix, Searchlight Pictures, Focus Features and Mubi were among the companies competing for the film.
The reported acquisition places Club Kid among A24’s upcoming theatrical releases and gives the film a commercial path beyond the festival circuit.
A Queer Story About Responsibility
Variety described the protagonist as a queer party promoter who has outgrown his place in the nightlife scene.
The film’s premise does not treat queer identity as a problem to be solved; instead, it places a queer adult’s nightlife, relationships and evolving sense of responsibility at the center of a family story.
In a statement reported by Variety, Firstman said that ensuring the queer cast would be fully supported during the promotional tour was important to him.
“In every one of my buyer meetings was vital to me that this cast gets brought out in full to promote the film – flown out, put up, glam paid for, all of it,” Firstman said.
The film’s emotional premise is therefore grounded in an unexpected form of adulthood: a person known for excess and spontaneity must respond to the arrival of a child and consider what kind of life he wants to lead.
Firstman on the Film’s Inspiration
Speaking with Deadline at Cannes, Firstman said the project began partly after he spent more time around his friends’ children.
He said the initial idea treated the relationship between an adult and a child as a comic premise, but that the story changed as he wrote it.
Firstman told Deadline that a breakup, his connection to Berlin’s party scene and his own experiences with drug use influenced the film’s exploration of a life at a crossroads.
He said the writing process continued to reveal new elements of the film and of his own relationship to its subject.
Critics have responded positively to the film’s shift from nightlife comedy toward a more emotionally serious story.
Deadline critic Damon Wise called the film “an unlikely but still beautifully human story” and praised Firstman’s move into a more serious tone.
Variety critic Guy Lodge described Club Kid as a “sweet, surprisingly old-fashioned heartwarmer.”
With its trailer now public, Club Kid is set to move from its Cannes launch into the fall theatrical calendar, beginning with its November 6 release.
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