Steve James’ new doc world premieres at Toronto fest

“Abacus” Sung family of New York

The latest feature doc from director Steve James of “Hoop Dreams” acclaim will have its world premiere at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) Sept. 11 and James will headline TIFF’s Doc Conference, Sept. 13.

The new doc, “Abacus: Small Enough to Jail,” is about the Chinese immigrant Sung family, owners of Abacus Federal Savings of New York’s Chinatown, the only US bank to face criminal charges during the 2008 financial crisis. The Sungs defend themselves and their bank’s legacy over the course of a five year legal battle.

The Sung family will be in attendance at the TIFF screening.

“Abacus” is being presented by Mitten Media, Motto Pictures, Kartemquin Films, “Frontline”/PBS and ITVS.

James directed; DP was Tom Bergmann, editors John Farbrother and David E. Simpson; music by Joshua Abrams. Produced by Mark Mitten (Mitten Media/”Life Itself”) and Julie Goldman (Motto Pictures/”Weiner”); EPs, Kartemquin’s Gordon Quinn, Betsy Steinberg and Justine Nagan, Christopher Clements (Motto Pictures), Raney Aronson-Rath (for “Frontline” and Sally Jo Fifer (for ITVS).

“Abacus” is James’ ninth feature-length film or series produced at Kartemquin Films. The director will attend Kartemquin 50th Anniversary retrospectives at New York’s Museum of the Moving Image, Aug. 19-28. He also will be the keynote speaker at the International Documentary Association’s Getting Real 2016 conference, Sept. 27-29 in Los Angeles.