MARIGOT:--- The Executive Council of Saint-Martin approved €287,000 for film and audiovisual projects and €30,500 for two sports associations at its October 22, 2026, meeting, according to a communiqué from the Collectivité.
The session examined 17 deliberations covering training assistance, development applications, property transactions and office leases. Among the planning decisions, the council tacitly approved two applications after their processing deadlines had expired.
The film funding covers project development, short- and long-form production, and promotion through the territory’s cinema and audiovisual assistance fund.
A total of €52,000 was approved for development, distributed as follows:
- SAS AN32 COMMUNICATION: €15,000 for “Retour au Pays” and €10,800 for “Snowy Season.”
- SAS AUBE FILMS: €15,000 for “Push / Au-delà du talent.”
- SAS KPM PRODUCTION: €11,200 for “Bicéphale - Where Over The World.”
Another €110,000 was allocated to short-form production, with €30,000 awarded to SAS AUBE FILMS for “It Takes A Village” and €80,000 to SASU CLAIR D’Y VOIR for “Flè A Mal Papaye.”
CARIBCINE PROD received approval for €120,000 in long-form production assistance for “To Us: Saint-Martin.” An additional €5,000 was approved for SAS AUBE FILMS to promote “Héritage: les portes du retour.”
The council approved three-year funding agreements for the supported projects and authorized the Territorial Council president to sign them.
According to the Collectivité, the assistance programs, developed with support from France’s CNC, aim to strengthen professional skills, support employment, attract filming and showcase Saint-Martin’s talent, heritage and landscapes.
The council also approved a second round of 2026 sports grants, awarding €16,500 to SPEEDY PLUS and €14,000 to VÉLO CLUB DE SANDY GROUND.
SPEEDY PLUS will receive €1,500 for operating expenses and €15,000 for the Saint-Martin–Sint Maarten invitational athletics meeting. The Sandy Ground cycling club’s allocation comprises €6,000 to introduce young people to cycling and €8,000 for regional, national and international competition.
The communiqué says 45 associations submitted funding requests for 85 projects this year. The territory’s planned sports funding totals €624,800: €182,000 for leagues, €422,800 for sports associations and €20,000 for exceptional grants.
A first allocation approved on July 16 awarded €286,900 to 36 associations.
On planning matters, the council acknowledged tacit approval for a five-lot subdivision in Grand-Case, noting that the application’s processing deadline expired on October 5.
It also acknowledged tacit approval for modifications to an existing fence at Parc de la Baie Orientale, where the stated processing deadline expired on October 17.
The council approved transferring existing building permits for two houses comprising three dwellings with a pool at Hope Hill, and for an individual house with a pool at Happy Bay. The communiqué states that the original permit conditions and validity periods remain applicable.
The council approved a separate Grand-Case application involving subdivision restructuring and bringing a planning authorization into compliance, subject to conditions. The beneficiary must arrange the required road and public utility connections and obtain any necessary permissions to route networks across private property.
The council rejected an application at Friar’s Bay involving a pergola connecting a villa and a bunker, together with a collective wastewater treatment system. The communiqué did not provide a detailed reason for the refusal.
It also declined to exercise the Collectivité’s urban preemption rights on three proposed property transactions.
On training assistance, the council approved seven individual training grants and two exceptional training grants. However, the communiqué gives two different totals: €17,296.19 in its account of the commission’s recommendation and €11,225.13 in the paragraph describing the council’s allocation. The document does not explain the discrepancy.
The Collectivité linked the training support to persistent unemployment, reporting more than 6,000 people registered with France Travail across all categories. It described the territory’s unemployment rate as four times that of mainland France.
The council also authorized a one-year lease with the HUNT property owners for about 120 square meters of ground-floor office space at 6 Rue Fichot in Marigot, to relocate land department personnel.
The premises include a reception area, four offices, storage space, a break area, and restrooms. The council approved rent of €2,000 per month, or €24,000 annually, excluding taxes and charges, payable every six months. The agreement also provides for a €2,000 security deposit, with the Collectivité bearing water and electricity costs.
Finally, the council corrected an earlier decision concerning premises leased from SCI CHERON. The arrangement had been described as a lease renewal, although it concerns new, larger office space not previously occupied by the Collectivité. The correction is intended to allow the Collectivité to regularize rental payments through the public treasury.