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Acclaimed documentary filmmaker and Oscar nominee Steve James (Hoop Dreams, Life Itself) is at it again, bringing us another worldly, incredibly human story to chew on. Abacus: Small Enough to Jail, a David vs Goliath tale at heart, finds the director accompanying a real life George Bailey as he confronts injustice.

Thomas Sung is the founder of the only domestic bank (Abacus Federal Savings Bank) to be plastered with charges relating to the Subprime Mortgage Crisis, and he spearheaded the battle to save his family-operated institution against Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr., as well as criminal indictment. Not considered “too big to fail” but fittingly “small enough to jail,” Sung and three of his four daughters fight to clear their family name and avoid becoming the country’s scapegoat.

As we said in our review, “In telling the story of one family, he’s opened up a new understanding of the complexities of one immigrant community – and revealed how much further the American justice system needs to go in understanding its own people.”

Watch the trailer below.

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Abacus: Small Enough to Jail, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, has yet to secure distribution.

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