Past Event: Abacus: Small Enough to Jail

Abacus: Small Enough to Jail (Steve James, 88 min, 2017) documents the gripping saga of the Sung family – Chinese immigrants and owners of Abacus Federal Savings Bank in Manhattan’s Chinatown.  Accused of mortgage fraud by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., Abacus was the only U.S. bank to face criminal charges in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis.  The indictment and subsequent trial forced the Sung family to defend themselves – and their bank’s legacy in the Chinatown community – over the course of a five-year legal battle.

The film will be followed by a talkback with Chinatown activist Don Lee and Sung family members Chanterelle Sung, Jill Sung, and Vera Sung of Abacus Federal Savings Bank. 

Includes Museum admission and beer courtesy of Harlem Blue.

This event is part of the second season of our nonfiction film series, Smile, It’s Your Close Up: New York's Documentaries, co-programmed with Jessica Green and Edo Choi of the Maysles Documentary Center, which zooms in on key moments, individuals, and communities to pose the question: “What makes New York New York?” To view all of the programs in this series, click here.

$15 for adults | $12 for seniors, students, and educators (with ID) | $10 for Museum and Maysles Documentary Center Members.  Includes Museum admission 

View a trailer of the film here: