Celebrate with us!

Gilbert "Broncho Billy" Anderson, the "A" of the Chicago-based Essanay (S & A) Film Manufacturing Company was the first cowboy movie star. After establishing the Essanay company in Chicago with George Spoor (the "S"), he went on the road to make films with a western look - kinda hard to do that in Illinois (even a century ago it looked a bit urban, with a limited amount of wide open spaces that one associates with the west.)

He came out to Niles, CA on April 1, 1912. He starred in 140 films under the moniker of "Broncho Billy", directed many one and two-reelers, both comedies and dramas. He hired Charlie Chaplin to be under contract with the Essanay Film Manufacturing Company in 1915.

More than 350 one and two-reel silent films were made in a four year period in Niles (now an historic district of Fremont, CA, USA) and we still celebrate that achievement today with our film festival. Join us for some online fun!

(Description courtesy Niles Film Museum)