![]() You mentioned that you had first heard about this family from producer Mark Mitten. It was an indication of their faith in themselves, their courage and their conviction that they decided to go along from the start. They could have very well been found guilty. Also, though, they clearly felt like this was a misscarriage of justice and that this had larger implications for them, for their community, for banking-and I think they felt a duty to participate despite not knowing how this would all turn out. There was an immediate bond of trust there. That was due in large measure to their relationship with Mark. They were receptive to the idea of the film. ![]() Were the subjects pretty open to speak to the media? Learning more about what the trial was about, I decided I wanted to make a film about it. We started filming when the trial was underway. The more I heard about it from Mark, the more intrigued I became. He called me up one day and said there’s a crazy trial that’s about to start with this little bank in New York and they’re the only back to be criminally prosecuted in the wake of the 2008 banking crisis. He was friends with the Sung family going back 10 years. It was producer Mark Mitten who drew my attention to the story. No one was covering it in the mainstream media except in the Chinese media in New York. It was a story I knew nothing about, like a lot of people. ![]() What initially interested you in this story? The news came out today that the film will be adapted into a fictional film, directed by Justin Lin and Executive Produced by James. Find out why a small bank mainly serving Chinese immigrants was the only US bank indicted for mortgage fraud related to 2008 financial crisis. NPR calls it “a compelling non-fiction thriller,” while The New York Times calls it “a classic underdog tale. ![]() The documentary screened at CAAMFest 2017. How is it that the country’s 2,651st largest bank was the only one prosecuted? James chatted about why he felt compelled to make this documentary, the love and humor behind the Sung family, and how the filmmaking team was able to finally get the prosecution side to talk to them.Ībacus: Small Enough to Jail, a CAAM-funded documentary, airs on PBS’ award-winning program FRONTLINE on Tuesday, September 12, 2017. Acclaimed director Steve James ( Hoop Dreams, The Interrupters), tackles the court case of the small, family-owned bank, while portraying the charming family in the middle of it-the Sungs-whose story had not been picked up by any mainstream media outlet at the time. However, one small bank in NYC’s Chinatown was. A new doc looks at why was a small bank serving Chinese immigrants was the only US bank indicted for mortgage fraud related to 2008 crisis.ĭuring the 2008 banking crisis, no large banks were indicated by the government. ![]()
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