| Le Mozart des Pickpockets | |
| Director: | Philippe Pollet-Villard |
| Producer: | Antoine Gandaubert Fabrice Goldstein Antoine Rein |
| Starring: | Matteo Razzouki-Safardi Philippe Pollet-Villard |
| Cinematography: | Philippe Piffeteau |
| Editing: | Cyril Nakache |
| Runtime: | 31 minutes |
| Country: | France |
| Language: | French |
Le Mozart des pickpockets (also known as The Mozart of Pickpockets) is a 2006 French short film. Written and directed by Philippe Pollet-Villard, it won the 2007 Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film.[1] It was the only French submission in the category. Two days before, the film also won its national César Award.
Richard and Philippe live hand to mouth, backing up a gang of Romanian pickpockets on the streets of Paris, posing as policemen who arrest a gang member while the others rifle the pockets and purses of gawkers. When all of the gang except Richard and Philippe are pinched, things look grim.
Then, Richard insists that they take in a wide-eyed immigrant lad, a deaf-mute left behind in the arrests. Philippe suggests a three-person pickpocket trick, using the boy, but when that goes spectacularly badly, they hit rock bottom.