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Abacus: Small Enough to Jail

Small enough to jail. Proud enough to fight back. From acclaimed director Steve James, the little-known story of the only U.S. bank prosecuted in relation to the 2008 financial crisis. An Academy Award nominee for Best Documentary Feature in 2018.

Abacus: Small Enough to Jail tells the incredible saga of the Chinese immigrant Sung family, owners of Abacus Federal Savings 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.

Filmmakers

Director of Photography

Tom Bergmann

Music

Joshua Abrams

Executive Producer for Frontline

Raney Aronson-Rath

Executive Producer for ITVS

Sally Jo Fifer

Co-Executive Producers for Blue Ice Docs

Steven Silver
Neil Tabatznik
Robin Smith

Co-Producers

Fenell Doremus
Nick Verbitsky

Associate Producer

Sean Lyness

Original Courtroom Illustrations

Christine Cornell

Location Sound

Daniel Nidel

Additional Camera

Sam Cullman
Jackson James

Additional Sound

Joe Maggio

Camera Assistant

Nancy Serna

Post Production Supervisor

Ryan Gleeson

Graphic Design

Sarofsky

Additional Graphics

Matt Taylor

Courtroom Reenactment Cast

Margaret Colin
Justin Deas
Richard Lai
Shao Wen Liang
Megan Rork
Mindy Shi
Miao Yu

Assistant Editors

Mina Fitzpatrick
Nancy McDonald
Ryan Gleeson
Eugene Kobayashi

Archival Research

Emily Hart

Production Assistants

Sam Bender
Marley Cogan
Dongni Lanca Li
Olivia Ramos Reed
Chris Zacarias
Jingyang Cheng

Assistant to the Producer

Kathryn Morse

Post-Production Assistants

HyoJin Park
Ingrid Roettgen
Wei Ying

Finishing Facility

The OutPost at WGBH

Post Production Audio

Another Country

Translation

Jane Hu
Jack Guan

Media

Awards and Distinctions

Ashland Independent Film Festival

Winner

Best Documentary Editing

2017

Berkshires Film Festival

Official Selection

2017

CAAM Fest

Official Selection

2017

Camden International Film Festival

Official Selection

Best of Fests

2017

Cleveland International Film Festival

Official Selection

2017

Critics Choice Awards

Winner

Best Political Documentary

2017

Dallas International Film Festival

Official Selection

2017

Doclands Film Festival

Official Selection

2017

Dokufest Kosovo

Official Selection

2017

Floating Film Festival

Official Selection

2017

Full Frame Documentary Film Festival

Official Selection

2017

Hawaii International Film Festival

Official Selection

2017

Hong Kong International Film Festival

Official Selection

2017

Independent Film Festival Boston

Official Selection

2017

It's All True International Documentary Film Festival

Official Selection

2017

Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival

Official Selection

2017

Louisiana Film Festival

Official Selection

2017

Melbourne International Film Festival

Official Selection

2017

Minneapolist/St.Paul International Film Festival

Official Selection

2017

Montclair Film Festival

Official Selection

2017

Nashville Film Festival

Official Selection

2017

New Zealand International Film Festival

Official Selection

2017

Ont Take Film Festival

Winner

Double Vanguard Award for Director Steve James

2017

Palm Springs International Film Festival

Winner

Best of Fest

2017

Port Jefferson Documentary Series

Official Selection

2017

Portland International Film Festival

Official Selection

2017

Sarasota Film Festival

Winner

Audience Award for Best Documentary

2017

Syndey Film Festival

Official Selection

2017

Traverse City Film Festival

Official Selection

2017

Wisconsin Film Fesitval

Official Selection

2017

Chicago International Film Festival

Official Selection

2016

Double Exposure: The Investigative Film Festival

Official Selection

Closing Night Screening

2016

International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (IDFA)

Official Selection

European Premiere

2016

New York Film Festival

Official Selection

U.S. Premiere

2016

Philadelphia Film Festival

Official Selection

2016

Toronto International Film Festival

Finalist

Grolsch People's Choice Documentary Award

2016

Toronto International Film Festival

Official Selection

World Premiere

2016

Victoria Film Festival

Official Selection

2016