By Ramona FlumeOne of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festival is having a front-row seat for the bright future of independent filmmaking. While we can learn a lot about the filmmakers from the 2024 Sundance Film Festival through the art that these storytellers share with us, there's always more we can learn about them as people. This year, we decided to get to the bottom of those artistic wells with our ongoing series: Give Me the Backstory!
In 2005, a young actor named Noah Segan crammed into a car with the team behind Brick, drove from L.A. to Park City (with an ill-advised overnight stop at Circus Circus in Las Vegas), slept in bunk beds, and handed out fliers on Main Street to drum up an audience. The film went on to become a darling of the Fest, winning a Special Jury Prize for Originality of Vision Dramatic, and it kicked off a creative partnership with director Rian Johnson that has lasted ever since. Sundance is where it all began, Segan says.
In the years that followed, Segan turned up in nearly every Johnson film, from a meaty role in Looper to a cameo in Star Wars: The Last Jedi to scene-stealing appearances in all three Knives Out mysteries. He also built a reputation as a genre favorite in films like Deadgirl and Starry Eyes, and made his feature directorial debut with the vampire movie Blood Relatives. And in 2026, he returned to the Sundance Film Festival to premiere his second feature, The Only Living Pickpocket in New York.
In the film, John Turturro plays Harry Lehman, an old-school pickpocket who has worked the city's sidewalks since the 1980s, and the hustle isn't what it used to be. When one lucky lift turns out to belong to a vengeful crime family, Harry is sent racing across the five boroughs to make it right. A fourth-generation New Yorker, Segan shot the film on location, on the streets and in the subways, and the result plays as both a crime caper and a love letter to New York City. Steve Buscemi and Giancarlo Esposito round out a cast that reads like a who's who of New York cinema, with Rian Johnson executive-producing.
Below, Segan reveals the secret to getting a good take from John Turturro, how he managed to charm the gatekeeper of New York's subways, and why you might find him selling gold jewelry in Los Angeles if he ever stops making films.
What was the biggest inspiration behind The Only Living Pickpocket in New York?
The city where I'm from and its hustlers. Spike [Lee]. Hot dogs.
Films are lasting artistic legacies. What do you want yours to say?
That people are largely decent and trying their best, even if they're thieves.
Describe who you want this film to reach.
I want this film to reach the weirdos that fight on behalf of AI in the comments section.
Your favorite part of making the film? Memories from the process?
We just laughed a lot. We ran around the city and cracked ourselves up. We stole shots and paid in cash. It was like getting away with a crime.
Tell us an anecdote about casting or working with your actors.
You can bribe John Turturro with Tony's Chocolate and a nice cortado. Not that I had to do it very often, because he is the perfect human and the ultimate New Yorker. Working around New York with John is like being given a personal tour by a lion on the savanna.
What was a big challenge you faced while making this film?
She is the greatest, but Ruthie, who runs the subway station you can shoot at, is tough (AND fair). The only thing that does impress her? John Turturro, of course. I wrote the movie for New York, because that's the city I know the best. For a while, we didn't think we'd be able to shoot there. Can Philly look like New York? I love Philly - my wife's family lives there, Go Birds, etc. I love Toronto! (Healthcare! Trolleys!) But it's not the same. Luckily, our amazing team figured it out, and New York ended up being another character in the movie, something that has never been done onscreen before.
Tell us how and why you became a filmmaker.
I started working in show business as a kid. It's literally all I'm qualified to do. But luckily, I really love movies.
Why is filmmaking important to you? Why is it important to the world?
Filmmaking was the best part of the 20th century, and hopefully it's the best part of this one, too.
Will Price, Steve Buscemi, Giancarlo Esposito, Tatiana Maslany and Victoria Moroles attend the Q&A for The Only Living Pickpocket in New York by Noah Segan, an official selection of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. ( 2026 Sundance Institute | photo by Jemal Countess)
If you weren't a filmmaker, what would you be doing?
I'd sell gold and watches at the Downtown Jewelry Exchange in Los Angeles on 7th Street. It's a 1920s Warner Bros. movie palace that got converted to retail. It's always partially decorated for Christmas and there's an older gentleman who sells surprisingly risqu charms. Maybe one day I could get promoted and be an older gentleman selling surprisingly risqu charms.
What is something that all filmmakers should keep in mind in order to become better cinematic storytellers?
Movies are their own language. They have their own syntax and grammar and vernacular. But it's also kind of brand-new as far as forms of communications go. So we're still able to make up stuff as we go. I believe the more we learn about movies, the easier it is to be fluent, to communicate, and then, make our own rules.
Who are your creative heroes?
My wife, my friends, my grandpa.
What three things do you always have in your fridge?
Dips, film, and at least one seasonal Trader Joe's item.
What was the last thing you saw that you wish you made?
Zootopia 2. The chemistry between Nick and Judy? Basically our generation's Moonstruck.
One thing people
