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STEUBENVILLE -- What began as a conversation at a graduation party is about to become a reality in downtown Steubenville.
In approximately six weeks, filmmakers and audiences will gather at the Sycamore Youth Center for the inaugural Steubenville International Film Festival, a two-day celebration of filmmaking and storytelling scheduled for Nov. 6-7.
The festival will feature narrative and documentary films from local filmmakers and artists from around the world, with the historic Sycamore Center, 301 N. Fourth St., serving as the screening venue and central gathering place. Kate Stapleton is serving as festival director, with Sycamore Executive Director Bobbyjon Bauman serving as festival host.
The story behind the festival began well before the first film submission arrived.
Bauman had dreamed for some time about Sycamore someday hosting a film festival. Since opening the center, Sycamore has provided opportunities for young people and the community to experience a wide range of the arts, including music, dance, theater and visual arts. Film seemed like a natural extension of that vision.
The idea began moving from dream to possibility when Bauman and his wife, Pamela, met Stapleton at a graduation party. During their conversation, the subject of film came up, and Bauman shared his desire to someday host a film festival at Sycamore.
As it turned out, Stapleton had been carrying a similar dream of her own.
What began as a casual conversation developed into a series of meetings as Stapleton and Bauman explored what an international film festival in Steubenville might look like. Those conversations eventually produced plans for the Steubenville International Film Festival.
For Bauman, it is another example of an idea that began simply and grew through collaboration -- something that has happened frequently throughout Sycamore’s history.
Stapleton brings her own background in music, film and storytelling to the project, while Sycamore provides a downtown venue capable of hosting screenings, visiting filmmakers and festival activities.
The festival was publicly announced last fall, with organizers inviting filmmakers to submit work in five categories: narrative feature, narrative short, documentary feature, documentary short and a youth short-film category for filmmakers 18 and younger.
The event is intended to be more than a series of movie screenings.
Organizers envision the festival as an opportunity for filmmakers and audiences to interact and for visiting artists to build relationships with one another. Plans include panels and workshops for attending filmmakers as well as opportunities for radio, television, print, podcast and social media exposure.
Sycamore will play a central role throughout the two-day event.
In addition to hosting the screenings, the center will house an exclusive filmmakers lounge throughout the festival. Complimentary food and beverages will be available, while Sycamore’s arcade games and pool tables will provide an informal setting where filmmakers can meet, exchange ideas and develop creative connections.
Organizers also are working to make attending the festival easier for filmmakers traveling to Steubenville. Plans include shuttle service and a home-stay program, while the city’s proximity to Pittsburgh International Airport provides accessibility for filmmakers coming from outside the region.
Hosting the festival reflects the expanding role the Sycamore Center has taken in the community.
When the center prepared for its official opening in 2018, its programming already included a strong emphasis on the arts, including music, dance, drama and a movie club. Since then, the center has grown into a hub for youth programming and community events in downtown Steubenville.
Today, Sycamore, a ministry of the Ohio Valley Youth Network, serves more than 500 kindergarten-through-12th-grade students each week and has offered dozens of free classes in areas ranging from art, dance and music to STEM, tutoring, sports and leadership development.
The film festival represents another step in that evolution -- opening the doors of the center not only to young people from throughout the Ohio Valley, but also to filmmakers and visitors from beyond the region.
The setting also fits the larger vision organizers have for the festival. The official festival description points to Steubenville’s location along the Ohio River, its steel-making and industrial heritage and its emerging arts community as part of the story the festival hopes to tell.
"Film is an art form that brings stories to life and sparks conversation, contemplation and change," the festival’s description states.
Organizers hope the festival can provide a place for stories originating in the Ohio Valley while introducing local audiences to stories and filmmakers from around the world.
With the inaugural event now just weeks away, preparations are moving into their final stages. The festival’s website confirms Nov. 6-7 as the dates, with screenings to be held at the Sycamore Center.
For Bauman and Stapleton, those two days will mark the realization of two dreams that unexpectedly intersected during a conversation at a graduation party -- one of hosting a film festival at Sycamore and the other of creating a film festival that could bring filmmakers and their stories to Steubenville.
Now, after months of conversations, planning and preparation, that shared dream is just weeks away from becoming reality.
Information about the Steubenville International Film Festival is available through FilmFreeway.