FRONTLINE Receives Peabody Award Nomination for “Abacus: Small Enough to Jail”

The FRONTLINE documentary Abacus: Small Enough to Jail, directed by award-winning filmmaker Steve James (Life Itself, Hoop Dreams), was nominated on Tuesday for a 2018 George Foster Peabody Award, one of the most prestigious honors in broadcast and digital media. 

Abacus: Small Enough to Jail, which aired on FRONTLINE in September 2017 following a spring theatrical release by PBS Distribution, chronicles the Chinese-American Sung family’s fight to clear their names after their small bank in New York City’s Chinatown became the only U.S. bank indicted for mortgage fraud related to the 2008 financial crisis. The documentary follows how 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.

Earlier this year, Abacus: Small Enough to Jail was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.

“We are delighted that Abacus: Small Enough to Jail has been recognized with this Peabody Award nomination,” said FRONTLINE Executive Producer Raney Aronson-Rath. “It’s a privilege to work with talented filmmakers like Steve James, and it’s been an honor to tell the Sung family’s story through this documentary. We’re so proud of Steve and his team, and we are so thankful to PBS, CPB and WGBH for their sustaining support of FRONTLINE’s journalism.”

Including this nomination, 10 of this year’s 60 Peabody nominations went to PBS programs.

Since 1940, the prestigious George Foster Peabody Awards have honored excellence in broadcasting. The awards now recognize excellence in digital storytelling as well. The winners of this year’s Peabody Awards in the documentary category will be announced April 17. The 77th annual Peabody Awards ceremony will take place on May 19, 2018, in New York City. Read the full list of Peabody Award nominees here.

To date, FRONTLINE has won 20 Peabody Awards. Watch this year’s Peabody-nominated FRONTLINE documentary, Abacus: Small Enough to Jail, below.