Young people from Saint-Martin step behind the camera

Conceiving, writing and directing: this is the challenge taken up by amateur filmmakers from various neighbourhoods across the island. From December 2025 to February 2026, these young people—most of whom were unemployed and had no qualifications or formal training—immersed themselves in the world of filmmaking. Guiding them were the professionals Rony Pies and Christophe Champaré. “I’m amazed by these young people,” says Champaré, “we’ve seen them develop. We’ve seen that they have a lot of talent (...) Talking about yourself in front of a camera is really difficult, but they rose to the challenge.” Rony Pies, for his part, highlights “a wonderful human adventure” and a great sense of team spirit in the service of artistic creation. 

Two films to tell the story of Saint Martin’s youth

Writing a script, directing actors, framing shots, filming and editing footage—these are all tasks the young people tackled over three intense weeks. A project that delighted the budding young filmmakers. “I’m proud of myself,” says Lili, “I’d never taken part in a project like this before. I wanted to set an example, to show that young people in Saint Martin are capable of doing this.” Funded by the DAC, this programme resulted in two short films titled “SXM Bad Boyz – An Ordinary Day” and “My life, my neighbourhood – Ma vie, mon quartier”. On the one hand, a fictional film featuring two makeshift detectives conducting a humorous investigation into a kidnapping in the heart of the island. On the other, a touching documentary about Saint-Martin’s youth. Facing the camera, young people talk about their stories, their daily lives, their dreams and their neighbourhoods. A short film that gives these young people a space for expression that they are often denied. A highly successful screening event, summed up in Lili’s words: “We’ve had an adventure in Saint Martin – our adventure.”