Tears, cheers and a lip-locked kiss with one of his costars is how first-time director Jordan Firstman celebrated the Cannes audience reaction to Club Kid, the film that follows the ups and downs of a down-on-his-luck New York City party promoter.
And that three-second, sweet, sincere man-to-man kiss is heating up the internet as video of their loving embrace goes viral.
As the crowd cheered, Firstman can be seen on video posted on Instagram, crying, kissing one costar, Diego Calva, and hoisting up another costar, young actor Reggie Absolom.
Bay Area artist Ivan, whose handle is @lususlove, commented on Variety's Instagram post of the moment, "I would kiss Diego Calva, too." "We are here for the kiss," commented Emma Caravias. "Such a beautiful moment," wrote L.A. creative director Jason Gabriel. "Congratulations!" And L.A. artist and activist Giovanna Federico added, "Love to see this."
Friday's screening at the festival's Théâtre Claude Debussy drew a six-minute standing ovation, Variety reported. And Firstman responded to the Hollywood bible's Instagram post with some snark about their competition's report: "Deadline said it was 7."
Screenshot from Instagram @varietyScreenshot from Instagram @variety
"Who’s got a bump?” Firstman joked as he embraced his costars, according to Deadline.
Club Kid premiered in the Un Certain Regard section of the famous festival, and tells the story of how Firstman's character must turn his life around upon the arrival of an unexpected visitor — his child.
The comedy-drama also stars Cara Delevingne, who could be seen on video crying tears of joy, as well as Miss Benny and newcomers Eldar Isgandarov as an unwelcome houseguest. The cast also includes singer, performer and DJ Saturn Risin9.
Absolom, who is now 13, plays the cute but complicated son that Firstman’s character did know he had. To celebrate the young actor's debut, Firstman led the Cannes audience in a chant in Absolom's honor.
Deadline reported some fans had to battle just to get into the premiere; even some attendees with tickets were turned away.
This is a big moment for Firstman, who may be best known for posting skits on Instagram and TikTok. His television roles include Rachel Sennott’s I Love LA, Ms. Marvel, English Teacher, and he also scored a guest appearance on Hacks.
Although Club Kid is his first feature-length film, Firstman previously wrote and directed two short films: Call Your Father, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2016 and Men Don’t Whisper the following year. His acting credits include a role playing himself in Sebastián Silva’s black comedy thriller Rotting in the Sun.
In 2025, he released Secrets, his debut comedy album, based on confessions by his Instagram followers that went viral.
To describe Firstman, Variety's Matt Donnelly and Ellise Shafer dug deep: "Firstman is largely known as a comedian and social personality who lives unapologetically — young, gay, ravenous for substances, sex and human connection. With Club Kid, he proved to the premiere audience that he’s got depth beyond a New York City dance dungeon."
And as for that kiss, while Calva has not publicly disclosed his sexuality, one Instagram follower in Zurich noted: "Interesting that the hot straight guy gets the long kiss on the lips but the more average looking straight guy gets a nice cheek peck."
