Spang's First Century

Spang’s First Century: A Record of the Past, The Story of the Present is a feature-length documentary shot in Pittsburgh in the 1920s, on the occasion of the the 100th anniversary of local pipe-makers Spang Chalfant and Company. The film offers a behind-the-scenes look at our region’s steel industry, with jaw-dropping views from factory interiors, intimate portraits of laborers practicing bygone crafts, and gorgeous cityscapes. The lone 35mm print of the film was rediscovered in 2019 and, with funding from the National Film Preservation Foundation, has been digitally scanned at 4K and preserved with a new 35mm internegative and print, as well as a beautiful digital transfer. This additional screening will showcase the new digital preservation transfer, with a newly recorded score by some of Pittsburgh’s finest musicians: INEZ, Annie Hui-Hsin Hsieh, Bryce Rabideau, Bri Dominique, Hezreel Robertson, Tre Seguritan Abalos, and Margaret Cox.