'' Abacus : Small Enough to Jail '' is a 2016 American documentary film by Steve James . The film centers on the Abacus Federal Savings Bank , a family-owned community bank situated in Manhattan 's Chinatown in New York City which , because it was deemed " small enough to jail " rather than " too big to fail " , became the only financial institution to actually face criminal charges following the subprime mortgage crisis . The film premiered at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival , where it was first runner-up for the People 's Choice Award in the documentary category . It aired on the PBS documentary series '' Frontline '' in 2017 and is available for online streaming at no charge . The film was nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the 90th Academy Awards
90th Academy Awards
90th Academy Awards
Abacus: Small Enough to Jail