Jordan Firstman's feature debut won both the Grand Prix and Audience Award, as Deauville's 2026 jury also honored Méli-Mélo, Mouse, Test, and If I Go Will They Miss Me.
The 52nd Deauville American Film Festival revealed its 2026 winners on Saturday, September 12, with Club Kid emerging as the defining success of this year's competition. Jordan Firstman's feature debut earned both the Grand Prix and the City of Deauville Audience Award, bringing together the verdict of the festival's main jury and the enthusiasm of moviegoers around the same film.
Running 126 minutes, Club Kid follows Peter, a New York party promoter whose fast-moving and seemingly carefree life is suddenly disrupted when Arlo, the 10-year-old son he never knew existed, arrives at his door. Firstman also takes the lead role, appearing alongside Reggie Absolom, Diego Calva, and Cara Delevingne.
The double victory provides an important showcase for a first-time feature filmmaker and makes Club Kid the clearest breakout of the 2026 competition ahead of its scheduled French theatrical release through Metropolitan FilmExport on November 4, 2026. Winning the Grand Prix would already have represented a major achievement for Firstman's debut. Adding the Audience Award shows that the film also connected with festivalgoers outside the jury room.
The Grand Prix was selected from 13 competition films by a nine-member jury chaired by Roschdy Zem and featuring Simon Abkarian, Camille Chamoux, Cécile de France, Euzhan Palcy, Raphaël Personnaz, Lola Quivoron, Mohamed Mbougar Sarr, and Laura Smet. Their final choices gave considerable attention to emerging directors and independent filmmaking.
That focus continued across the other awards. The Jury Prize was shared by Méli-Mélo, the first feature from Leah Nelson, and If I Go Will They Miss Me, written and directed by Walter Thompson-Hernández. Méli-Mélo also received the Critics' Prize, giving the film a notable double recognition of its own.
Set in 1990s San Francisco, the 103-minute animated film follows Sarah as she returns to her childhood home while her mother begins losing her memory. Its voice cast includes Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Abbi Jacobson, Bryan Cranston, Beanie Feldstein, Seth Rogen, and Samira Wiley. Nour Films will release the movie in France on January 20, 2027.
If I Go Will They Miss Me, meanwhile, follows 12-year-old Lil Ant beneath the flight paths surrounding Los Angeles International Airport as he transforms the planes passing above his working-class neighborhood into a personal mythology while searching for a connection with his father. The feature expands Walter Thompson-Hernández's award-winning 2022 Sundance short of the same name and stars Danielle Brooks and J. Alphonse Nicholson. Its French theatrical release through Wayna Pitch is scheduled for January 6, 2027.
The Revelation Prize went to Mouse, directed by Kelly O'Sullivan and Alex Thompson. The story follows lifelong friends Callie and Minnie during a final summer before senior year that is transformed by tragedy and an unexpected emotional connection between Minnie and Callie's mother.
The award continues O'Sullivan and Thompson's collaboration after their work on Saint Frances and their 2024 Sundance selection Ghostlight, with Mouse marking their second feature as co-directors. Its ensemble includes Sophie Okonedo, Katherine Mallen-Kupferer, Tara Mallen, Chloe Coleman, Iman Vellani, and David Hyde Pierce.
Elsewhere, Test earned the CANAL+ Prize for Best Film. Directed by Sam McConnell from a semi-autobiographical screenplay by lead actor Brock Yurich, the project marks McConnell's fiction feature directing debut and adds another first-time feature filmmaker to the list of Deauville's 2026 winners. Five CANAL+ subscribers joined the jury responsible for selecting the winning film.
On the French side, Marine Atlan received the Prix d'Ornano-Valenti for La Gradiva, a 145-minute French-Italian drama co-written with Anne Brouillet. Distributed in France by Tandem, La Gradiva is scheduled for theatrical release on October 21, 2026.
Running from September 4 through September 13, the 52nd Deauville American Film Festival presented 80 films across nine sections. This year's winners reflected the festival's continuing interest in filmmakers at the beginning of their careers or moving into new stages of their work.
Club Kid, Méli-Mélo, and Test were all presented as first features. Mouse continued the directing partnership between O'Sullivan and Thompson, while If I Go Will They Miss Me showed how Thompson-Hernández could develop the idea behind his acclaimed short into a full-length feature.
The awards therefore leave several filmmakers with greater visibility than they had when the festival began. Leah Nelson leaves with both the Jury Prize and Critics' Prize for Méli-Mélo, while Walter Thompson-Hernández, Kelly O'Sullivan, Alex Thompson, Sam McConnell, and Marine Atlan each received recognition for their work.
But Club Kid leaves Deauville with the strongest result. The Grand Prix gives Jordan Firstman's debut the festival's top competition honor, while the City of Deauville Audience Award shows that the response extended beyond the jury. With both groups choosing the same film, Club Kid became the clear winner of Deauville's 2026 competition and one of the festival's discoveries to watch as it moves toward theatrical release.
Deauville 2026 Awards Recap
- Grand Prix: Club Kid, directed by Jordan Firstman.
- City of Deauville Audience Award: Club Kid, directed by Jordan Firstman.
- Jury Prize: Méli-Mélo, directed by Leah Nelson.
- Jury Prize: If I Go Will They Miss Me, directed by Walter Thompson-Hernández.
- Revelation Prize: Mouse, directed by Kelly O'Sullivan and Alex Thompson.
- CANAL+ Prize: Test, directed by Sam McConnell.
- Critics' Prize: Méli-Mélo, directed by Leah Nelson.
- Prix d'Ornano-Valenti: La Gradiva, directed by Marine Atlan.
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