Level 1 — Absolute Beginner
A new film is at Cannes. The film is called Club Kid. It is in France.
The film is from Jordan Firstman. It is his first big movie as a director.
After the film, people clapped for seven minutes. That is a long time.
Cara Delevingne and Diego Calva are in the film. Jordan was very happy. He cried on stage.
- film
- a story shown on a big screen
- Cannes
- a city in France where there is a famous film festival
- director
- the person who tells the actors what to do in a film
- clapped
- hit your hands together to say 'well done'
- minute
- sixty seconds of time
- stage
- a high place where people stand to perform
- happy
- feeling good and joyful
- cried
- tears came from the eyes
Level 2 — Elementary
Club Kid is the first feature film directed by the American comedian Jordan Firstman. It had its world premiere at the 79th Cannes Film Festival on 15 May 2026.
The audience in the Théâtre Claude Debussy stood up and clapped for seven minutes. Reviewers say it became the first 'breakout hit' of this year's festival.
The story follows Bear, a washed-up New York party promoter, played by Firstman himself. When a surprise visitor arrives, Bear must change his life. The supporting cast includes Cara Delevingne, Diego Calva and the singer Miss Benny.
The film is part of the Un Certain Regard section. This part of Cannes is famous for showing new and unusual films from young directors.
- comedian
- a person whose job is to make people laugh
- premiere
- the first showing of a new film
- audience
- the people watching a film, play or show
- reviewer
- a person who writes opinions about films or books
- promoter
- a person who arranges and advertises events
- supporting cast
- the actors who are not the main star
- section
- one part of something larger
- unusual
- not common or normal
Level 3 — Intermediate
Comedian-turned-filmmaker Jordan Firstman became the talking point of the 79th Cannes Film Festival on Friday night when his directorial debut, Club Kid, drew a seven-minute standing ovation following its premiere in the Un Certain Regard sidebar.
Audiences inside the Théâtre Claude Debussy responded with shouts and applause, and Firstman, visibly emotional, hugged and kissed co-star Diego Calva on stage. Variety described the dramedy as the festival's 'first breakout hit', noting strong reactions to the screenplay's blend of irreverent humour and grief.
The story centres on Bear, a once-celebrated New York party promoter whose life has unravelled into denial, until an unexpected visitor forces a reckoning. Firstman plays Bear opposite Calva, with Cara Delevingne in a sharply written supporting role and the singer Miss Benny in a notable comic part. Newcomers Reggie Absolom and Eldar Isgandarov round out the principal cast.
Un Certain Regard, which sits alongside the main competition, has long been a launching pad for first-time auteurs; recent alumni include the eventual Oscar winners behind Anatomy of a Fall and Aftersun. Distributors are reportedly already circling, with several streamers said to be in conversation about an autumn awards push.
- sidebar
- a programme of films that runs alongside the main competition
- ovation
- long, loud applause from an audience
- dramedy
- a film that mixes drama and comedy
- irreverent
- playfully disrespectful of serious things
- unravelled
- fallen apart or become disordered
- reckoning
- a moment when someone must face the truth or consequences
- auteur
- a filmmaker with a strong personal style
- awards push
- a marketing campaign aimed at winning prizes such as Oscars
Level 4 — Advanced
Jordan Firstman, who built an outsized social-media following on stylised celebrity impressions, has parlayed that cultural cachet into the most talked-about film at the 79th Cannes Film Festival. Club Kid, his directorial debut, screened in the Un Certain Regard sidebar on 15 May to a seven-minute ovation inside the Théâtre Claude Debussy, with several industry-trade dispatches anointing it the festival's first genuine breakout.
The picture follows Bear, a once-feted New York nightlife impresario whose self-mythology corrodes under the unexpected reappearance of a figure from his past, played with quiet menace by Diego Calva. Firstman, who stars as well as directs, oscillates between brittle wit and self-eviscerating vulnerability; Cara Delevingne provides a tartly written counterweight as a former muse, and the pop singer Miss Benny supplies a comedic register that has drawn comparisons to the early work of Rachel Sennott.
Variety, IndieWire and Deadline all filed enthusiastic reviews within hours of the screening, and Croisette buzz suggested that an aggressive distribution scramble had already begun. Several streamers and specialty labels were reportedly circling, with talk of a fourth-quarter limited release calibrated for the Independent Spirit Awards calendar.
Strategically, the success extends Un Certain Regard's recent role as a generator of awards-season conversation. Justine Triet's Anatomy of a Fall and Charlotte Wells's Aftersun both detonated out of that sidebar before metastasising into Oscar campaigns; Club Kid's combination of celebrity provenance and unexpectedly piercing screenplay may slot into that same lineage, even as critics await second viewings to test whether the film's emotional architecture sustains beyond its opening-night high.
- cachet
- the prestige attached to something fashionable or admired
- anointing
- officially recognising or designating
- self-mythology
- the personal story one constructs about oneself
- corrodes
- gradually wears away or weakens
- tartly written
- characterised by sharp, slightly sour wit
- distribution scramble
- a fast competition among studios to acquire release rights
- specialty label
- a smaller studio focused on art-house or awards-targeted films
- metastasising
- spreading rapidly and widely from an original source
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