PREPARING FOR SCREENING — The Sycamore Youth Center will host a screening of “The Inner Sea,” at 7 p.m. March 6. The award-winning documentary was directed and producted by Kate Stapleton and is part of the ongoing effort to expand arts and cultural programming at Sycamore, while building momentum for this year’s Steubenville International Film Festival. Final preparations are being made by, from left, Bobbyjon Bauman, Sycamore executive director; Pam Bauman, Sycamore administrator; Stapleton and her husband, Casey. -- Contributed

STEUBENVILLE — The Sycamore Youth Center will host a special fundraiser by offering a screening of the award-winning documentary “The Inner Sea” at 7 p.m. March 6.

The event is free and open to the public.

Free-will donations will be accepted to support the upcoming Steubenville International Film Festival.

Directed and produced by first-time filmmaker Kate Stapleton, “The Inner Sea” explores the often unheard perspective of birth mothers in the adoption journey.

Stapleton, who is the harpist in the harp-and-guitar duo the Stapletons, draws from her experience as a birth mother, weaving together themes of identity, suffering, healing and the role of art in personal transformation.

The film debuted in 2025 at the Julien Dubuque International Film Festival and has since received significant recognition on the festival circuit, including Best Film at the Lake Effect Film Festival and Best New Filmmaker at the Fresh Coast Film Festival in Marquette, Mich.

Additional honors include selections and awards from the Door County Film Festival, Buffalo Roots Film Festival, Red Cedar Film Festival, Houston International Film Festival, Soo City Film Festival and the Saugatuck Film Festival.

Following the 7 p.m. screening, attendees will be invited to remain for a question-and-answer session with Stapleton, who serves as the executive director of the Steubenville International Film Festival.

The discussion will give audience members the opportunity to engage directly with the filmmaker about the story behind the documentary, the adoption experience and the film’s broader cultural and artistic impact.

Bobbyjon Bauman, executive director of the Sycamore Youth Center, said the event aligns closely with the center’s mission of fostering meaningful community dialogue through the arts.

“We’re honored to host ‘The Inner Sea’ at the Sycamore center,” Bauman said. “This film invites thoughtful conversation about identity, sacrifice and healing, and is exactly the kind of meaningful artistic experience we want to bring to our community. We’re excited that this screening will help support the launch of the Steubenville International Film Festival.”

The screening is part of ongoing efforts to expand arts and cultural programming at Sycamore, while building momentum for SIFF, which is scheduled to take place later this year.

Information about the film and upcoming events will be shared with the community in the coming weeks, Bauman noted.