By Shirley N Lew
AsAmNews Staff Writer
Abacus, Small Enough To Jail, which premiered in the 2016 International Toronto Film Festival, finally made its Chinatown premiere Sunday night with Chinese subtitles.
Directed by Steve James, Abacus follows the trial of Tom Sung, founder of Abacus Federal Savings Bank located in Manhattan Chinatown, the only US bank to be prosecuted in the 2008 financial crisis to this day.
Sung’s three daughters, Vera and Jill and Chanterelle all appear in the film. Chanterelle Sung quit her job in the District Attorney’s office when the DA began to prosecute her father. Vera and Jill both worked at Abacus. They made a special appearance after the Chinatown premiere to participate in a panel discussion led by Chris Kwok, a lawyer at the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Don Lee, community activist.
“I remember reciting The Pledge of Allegiance to the flag when I was growing up going to school here, and I never thought that could be so easily taken away,” said Vera Sung.
Located just less than two blocks away from the bank, the documentary was screened at 21 Pell Street, part of a two day long first annual Mid-Autumn Film Festival that began on September 30. The festival is presented by the Chinese American Citizen’s Alliance of Greater New York.
View the post screening panel discussion part two here.
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