(Jia Zhangke, 1997, China, 108 minutes)

4K restoration from the World Cinema Project!

Jia Zhangke’s legendary debut feature, 1997’s Xiao Wu (a/k/a Pickpocket), has only rarely played on the big screen in America and has so far never had a physical media release in the States. Set in Jia’s native Fenyang and made on a $50,000 budget with nonprofessional actors and without state approval, Xiao Wu follows a pickpocket of that name who is left behind by friends, family, and modernizing culture. He finds some reprieve in a friendship with a local karaoke hostess, but solving all of his problems is a long way off. With the help of a 2020 restoration from Martin Scorsese’s World Cinema Project (and with Scorsese himself being a longtime and outspoken fan of the film), not to mention the pending release of Jia’s newest (Caught By the Tides, playing at the Webster Film Series June 6-8), there won’t be a better opportunity to catch up with this masterpiece of world cinema.

In Mandarin and Jin with English subtitles.