"This case is about exonerating our entire community." There's a brand new film from the director behind Ebert's Life Itself and the classic documentary Hoop Dreams. Steve James' latest documentary is titled Abacus: Small Enough to Jail, and it first premiered at the Toronto Film Festival and is playing at the New York Film Festival next. Abacus is about the Abacus Federal Savings Bank in Chinatown in New York City, which was one of the few banks labeled as "small enough to jail" during the mortgage crisis. They were targeted by the Manhattan District Attorney, despite that all the bigger banks were given free passes and government support. This doc examines how Abacus, a family-run bank, is fighting to stay alive and clear their name. This isn't a full trailer, but it is our first look - this seems to be another unique doc worth seeing.
From TIFF: In 2012, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr. filed charges against a bank related to the mortgage crisis. But the bank wasn't one of the "too big to fail" giants that needed taxpayer rescue. It was a modest Chinatown institution called Abacus Federal Savings Bank that never sought a bailout, but was "small enough to jail." Filmmaker Steve James gains close access to Abacus founder Thomas Sung and his family as they fight to save their business and clear their name. They were the only domestic bank to be criminally indicted in the wake of 2008, yet this important story was scarcely known outside New York's Chinatown community. Abacus: Small Enough to Jail is directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Steve James, of the docs Life Itself, Hoop Dreams, Head Games and The Interrupters. This premiered at the Toronto Film Festival, and is playing at the New York Film Festival, but doesn't have a release date yet.