The high from Jordan Firstman’s Cannes player “Club Kid” has carried over to the sales market, as the filmmaker’s directorial debut has sparked a bidding war.
After glowing reviews from Firstman’s Friday premiere in the festival’s Un Certain Regard section, multiple high-profile distributors are throwing down for the dramedy – one that’s earned praise for balancing a hedonistic portrait of queer life in New York City with a heartwarming story of an unlikely father and son.
Mubi, Focus Features, Searchlight Pictures, A24 and Netflix are leading contenders, multiple sources told Variety. Offers are coming in at the high seven-figure range, three sources said, in a deal that could ultimately close for eight figures. UTA is handling sales with an international assist from Charades.
Christian Parkes’ new Warner Bros. indie label Clockwork engaged on the title but has already bowed out, per two insiders. Teddy Schwarzman’s Black Bear is also said to be interested, and offers from other companies are expected as Cannes hits its mid-point this weekend.
The filmmakers had no immediate comment. The process could take days given the high level of interest, but Firstman’s triumphant debut marks the first frenzied negotiation of this year’s muted market (many titles came to Cannes with distribution, including Neon’s nine films in the official selection).
Firstman takes a major creative leap forward with “Club Kid” as writer-director. His feature follows a Manhattan club promoter who has stayed about a decade too long at the party. When a 10-year-old boy shows up at his front door, the son he never knew he fathered, Firstman’s protagonist must confront his ketamine-soaked Peter Pan syndrome and decide the shape of two futures.
The film is produced by Oscar winner Alex Coco (“Anora”) alongside Michael Bloom, Galen Core and Ryan Heller.
“Come for the arch, bitchy humor promised by the title and the director’s general social media brand; stay for the unabashed sweetness of the enterprise; leave with the distinct sense that there’s more to Firstman than his online persona,” wrote Variety’s Guy Lodge in his Cannes review.
Firstman is repped by UTA, Black Bear and The Lede Company. His credits include the just-renewed HBO original series “I Love LA” and “Rotting in the Sun.”
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