Less than a decade after the devastating earthquake and fire of 1906, San Francisco hosted the spectacular Panama-Pacific International Exposition, signaling the city’s rebirth and setting the standard for World’s Fairs and theme parks to follow.

On the eve of the PPIE centenary, Anita Monga, artistic director of the San Francisco Silent Film Festival, will host an evening of evocative images and film footage with live piano accompaniment. The presentation traces the physical and psychological transformation of San Francisco spurred by the exposition, the impact of Hollywood visitors like Fatty Arbuckle and Mabel Normand, and the power of the then-fledgling motion picture to preserve history and shape its narrative.

Presented in association with the San Francisco Silent Film Festival.