- Social:
filmmaker, “Abacus: Small Enough to Jail”
Steve James was born in Hampton, Virginia, USA. He is a director and producer, known for Hoop Dreams (1994), Stevie (2002) and The Interrupters (2011).
PROFILE
Steve James
Guest
FROM Steve James
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
How one Chinatown bank was 'small enough to jail' In the wake of the mortgage crisis and great recession, the government bailed out big banks, but one small bank was not so lucky. Abacus Federal Savings Bank was the only bank to face criminal charges. Run by a family in New York’s Chinatown, it served low-income immigrant communities. A new documentary tells the story: “Abacus: Small Enough to Jail.” It opens in LA on June 9 at the Landmark NuArt Theater. Vera Sung, Jill Sung and Thomas Sung ran Abacus Federal Savings Bank in New York's Chinatown. They caught financial fraud being committed at their bank, reported it, and fired those involved. Then Abacus became the only bank to face criminal charges in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. (Photo by Sean Lyness)
The Business
‘Life Itself’ Filmmaker Steve James and Chaz Ebert tell Kim Masters about the journey of adapting Roger Ebert’s memoir, ‘Life Itself’ to a documentary. James figured finding funding for such a film would be no problem, but as he puts it, he was “exactly wrong about that.” Roger Ebert and his wife Chaz were both on board with the idea of working with James, and filming began in late 2012. But as Roger’s health slipped into a sudden decline, everyone involved had to adapt their plans. Even in very difficult, personal moments, Roger Ebert encouraged James to keep the camera rolling. He passed away just a few months into production. The film traces Ebert’s life from his childhood in Urbana, Illinois, to his days at the Chicago Sun-Times to his often contentious relationship with Gene Siskel. ‘Life Itself’ doesn’t shy away from portraying Ebert as a flawed man who, early in his career, had an outsized ego and a drinking problem. But it also shows a person transformed by love when he met and married his wife Chaz.
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The Treatment
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Bookworm
Morgan Parker: There Are More Beautiful Things than Beyoncé Morgan Parker says that the poems in her book There Are Things More Beautiful than Beyoncé take a stand against the clichés of the dominant culture.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Why did Jared Kushner want a back channel with Russians? News broke Friday that President Trump’s son-in-law and senior advisor, Jared Kushner, tried setting up a back channel between the Trump transition team and the Russian government. What are the consequences for Kushner, President Trump, and the investigation into Russian meddling?
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Accusations of lying fly between James Comey and White House During his testimony Thursday, former FBI Director James Comey accused President Trump and other White House officials of lying when they said the FBI was in disarray and its staff had lost confidence in him. President Trump’s lawyer said Comey was wrong -- that the president never asked for his loyalty, and never asked him to back off the investigation into former NSA director Michael Flynn.