Sony Pictures Classics has secured global rights to The Only Living Pickpocket in New York, the John Turturro-led crime thriller that debuted at the Sundance Film Festival and recently screened at the Berlin International Film Festival. The distributor is planning a fall theatrical release.
Written and directed by Noah Segan, the film marks Sony Pictures Classics’ third acquisition out of Sundance this year, following Stephanie Ahn’s Bedford Park and Josef Kubota Wladyka’s Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty.
A Pickpocket Out of Time
The Only Living Pickpocket in New York centers on Harry Lehman (Turturro), an aging pickpocket navigating a city that no longer supports his craft. In a modern Manhattan where cash-filled wallets have given way to cancelable credit cards, Harry’s once-reliable hustle is drying up. As he struggles financially while caring for his disabled wife, Rosie, a routine theft spirals into something far more dangerous.
After unknowingly stealing and fencing a valuable USB drive, Harry finds himself entangled with a ruthless crime family — and in a race against time to recover the item before consequences catch up with him.
The ensemble cast includes Giancarlo Esposito, Will Price (After the Hunt), Tatiana Maslany, Victoria Moroles (Ballard, Never Have I Ever), and Steve Buscemi — a lineup that evokes a distinctly New York lineage of character-driven crime storytelling.
A Love Letter to Classic Manhattan Indies
Early reactions from Sundance positioned the film as both a character study and a tribute to the gritty, dialogue-driven Manhattan indies of the 1980s. Turturro’s performance has been widely praised, with critics highlighting the emotional depth he brings to Harry — a man caught between loyalty, love, and a city that has evolved beyond him.
The project was financed by MRC, with T-Street’s Rian Johnson and Ram Bergman producing alongside Katie McNeill, Leopold Hughes, and Ben LeClair. Johnson and Bergman also serve as executive producers, with Johnny Holland among the film’s executive producers.
The deal was negotiated between Sony Pictures Classics and MRC.
With a fall theatrical rollout in the works, The Only Living Pickpocket in New York positions itself as a throwback crime drama rooted in character and place — a story about survival, aging, and what it means to belong in a city that never stops changing.