Noam Rignault Clement is a French-American filmmaker and freshman at UC Berkeley – raised between two cultures, two languages, and two cities. His latest short film, Little Things, screened at the 2026 San Francisco International Film Festival twice at the iconic Castro and LucasFilm theaters, and was awarded the Youth Works Honorable Mention. MerciSF relished the opportunity to meet him.
Little Things
Little Things follows Leftie, a nine-year-old boy navigating the quiet French countryside during one memorable summer. Taking his mother’s advice to enjoy the little things in life, he sets off with a stolen garden gnome in tow on an inquisitive quest to find just that. Shot on location in France and Spain as a one-man crew, Noam managed his way through international travel and limited resources; using a miniature remote-controlled car to do rolling shots. Noam financed, wrote, directed, shot, and edited the movie. The result is six minutes of childhood seen from the inside – restless, tender, and hopeful.
Little Things explores what it means to grow up: the anxieties, the in-between moments, the things you can’t quite name yet. Noam has learning disabilities and does not shy away from that fact. Quite the opposite: he has aesthetically woven those uncertainties into every frame. As a result, Leftie’s inner world with the fear of growing up too fast and the dread of good things ending lands with a quiet force.
A Bay Area Family Affair
The film’s star is Luca, Noam’s younger brother. Noam recounts trying to film during the summer vacation while Luca wanted to play Minecraft and relax; the two of them ultimately sneaking out together past bedtime. When asked how it felt to see himself on screen, Luca simply smiled: “It’s really good.” It’s a family affair in every sense. The complicity between the two brothers and the pride radiating from their mother made it impossible not to be swept up in the energy of it all. Noam has already won a NATAS award – yes, the organization behind the Emmys – with The Wooden Heart. And I have sense that the best is very much still to come: more films, more awards, more adventures dreamed up together.
Congrats Noam and we can’t wait to see what’s next!
Follow the adventure of Noam, Luca and the gnome here and on Instagram
MerciSF Rapid Fire
Favorite movie director? Wes Anderson
Hardest part of filming with your brother? Getting him out of bed past his bedtime. Worth it.
What do you miss most about France? The noises. People eating on a terrace, the sound of cutlery clinking.
What would you miss the most if you were to leave California and move to France? My friends!
