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Abacus - small enough to jail
USA 2016 | 88 min | MITTEN MEDIA, MOTTO PICTURES, KARTEMQUIN
PBS Distribution, FRONTLINE and ITVS
Nominated for an Academy Award® for Best Documentary Feature 2018
Director: Steve James
Producer: Mark Mitten, Julie Goldman
Cinematographer: Tom Bergmann
Editor: John Farbrother, David E. Simpson
Composer: Joshua Abrams
Co Producers: Fenell Doremus, Nick Verbitsky
From acclaimed director Steve James (Hoop Dreams,
The Interrupters, Life Itself),
Abacus: Small
Enough to Jail tells the incredible saga of the Chinese immigrant Sung family, owners of Abacus
Federal Savings Bank of Chinatown, New York.
Accused of mortgage fraud by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., Abacus becomes the only U.S. bank to face criminal charges in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. The indictment and subsequent trial forces the Sung family to defend themselves – and their bank‘s legacy in the Chinatown community – over the course of a five-year legal battle.
RUNNER UP - GROLSCH PEOPLE'S CHOICE DOCUMENTARY AWARD
2016 Toronto International Film Festival
WORLD PREMIERE
2016 Toronto International Film Festival
US PREMIERE
2016 New York Film Festival
EUROPEAN PREMIERE
2016 IDFA: International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam