Buda Kunstencentrum

Buda Kunstencentrum (often styled Kunstencentrum BUDA) is an arts centre in Kortrijk, Belgium, named after the Buda island on which it is located. It operates as a combination of an arthouse cinema, a production and residency workspace for performing artists, and a festival organiser. According to its Dutch Wikipedia entry, it is the largest workspace for performing artists in Flanders. Its activities span film, theatre, dance and interdisciplinary creation, presented across several buildings in Kortrijk: Budascoop (the former Pentascoop, opened in 1975) for contemporary theatre and dance performances and arthouse cinema; Budatoren (formerly Tacktoren, the restored fermentation tower of the former Tack brewery from 1760) with five rehearsal studios for national and international artists; and BK6 (Broelkaai 6, the former Broelmuseum) used as a co-office with exhibition space and a hidden garden. The organisation was founded in 2004, when three Kortrijk non-profit associations — Beeldenstorm vzw, Dans in Kortrijk vzw and Limelight vzw — jointly started a new project and eventually merged into it. Budascoop reopened after a thorough renovation on Saturday 2 September 2006, and since then has shown new films daily while theatre makers and choreographers work on new creations. The cinema focuses on quality films from Belgium and abroad, with series such as Classics Restored, mini-festivals such as CinéMàs, Spinrag and a schools film festival, and unique one-off screenings. Buda Kunstencentrum organises several festivals, including the Almost Summer festival, Ecopolis, and, together with four other partners in Kortrijk, Lille (France) and Valenciennes (France), the international arts festival NEXT. In 2007 Franky Devos became director of Buda Kunstencentrum; he left in June 2017 to become general coordinator of Vooruit in Ghent. In 2017 Kristof Jonckheere became general director, with artistic direction in the hands of Mathilde Villeneuve and the board chaired by Francis Van Remoortel. Since 2018 the centre has paid particular attention to children, young people and families in vulnerable positions, expanding its children's programme, offering arts tariffs via UiTPAS, film camps for children in poverty, and film workshops in youth care institutions; for this it received the Europa Cinemas Innovation Prize at the Cannes Film Festival. Since 2021 it has worked actively on maximum accessibility, including gender-neutral toilets, apps for the hard of hearing (Mobile Connect) and visually impaired (Earcatch), wheelchair assistance, pay-what-you-can during Almost Summer, a visual preparation guide on the website, and regular low-stimulus performances. In 2023 Buda Kunstencentrum in Budascoop reached more than 70,000 visitors for film for the first time, and more than 90,000 including stage performances, workshops and guided tours.

Buda Kunstencentrum was founded in 2004 when three Kortrijk non-profit associations — Beeldenstorm vzw, Dans in Kortrijk vzw and Limelight vzw — jointly started a new project and eventually merged into it. The name refers to the Buda island where the arts centre is located. The centre operates several specific buildings in Kortrijk. Budascoop, the former Pentascoop, opened in 1975 as the first purpose-built multiplex cinema with five screens under one roof in Belgium (and probably in Western Europe), founded by the Kinepolis group. After Kinepolis built a new cinema complex in Hoog-Kortrijk in the 1990s, visitor numbers at the Pentascoop gradually declined and the Kinepolis group eventually sold the film complex. Under the impulse of Buda Kunstencentrum, the former Pentascoop was converted in 2004 into an important cultural infrastructure with 3 film screens and 2 stage halls. The complex reopened after a thorough renovation on Saturday 2 September 2006. Since then, new films are shown daily and theatre makers or choreographers work on new creations there. Budatoren, formerly Tacktoren, is the restored fermentation tower of the former Tack brewery (1760) on the Buda island, with 5 rehearsal studios for national and international artists. BK6 (Broelkaai 6, the former Broelmuseum) serves as a co-office, with exhibition space and a hidden garden. In 2007 Franky Devos became director of Buda Kunstencentrum, but since June 2017 he has been general coordinator of the Vooruit arts centre in Ghent. In 2017 Kristof Jonckheere became general director of Buda Kunstencentrum. The artistic direction is in the hands of Mathilde Villeneuve. The board of directors is chaired by Francis Van Remoortel. Since 2018 there has been particular attention to children, young people and families in vulnerable positions: a larger children's offering, arts tariffs via UiTPAS, film camps for children in poverty, film workshops in youth care institutions, etc. For this, BUDA received the Europa Cinemas Innovation Prize at the Cannes Film Festival. Since 2021, active work has been done on maximum accessibility: gender-neutral toilets, apps for the hard of hearing (Mobile Connect) and visually impaired (Earcatch), wheelchair assistance, pay what you can during Almost Summer, a visual preparation on the website, and regular low-stimulus performances. In 2023, Buda Kunstencentrum in Budascoop reached more than 70,000 visitors for film for the first time, and more than 90,000 including stage performances, workshops, guided tours, etc.

• 2023

  Buda Kunstencentrum in Budascoop reaches more than 70,000 visitors for film for the first time, and more than 90,000 including stage performances, workshops, guided tours, etc.

• 2021

  Active work begins on maximum accessibility, including gender-neutral toilets, apps for the hard of hearing and visually impaired, wheelchair assistance, pay-what-you-can, and low-stimulus performances.

• 2018

  Buda Kunstencentrum begins special attention to children, young people and families in vulnerable positions, receiving the Europa Cinemas Innovation Prize at the Cannes Film Festival.

• 2017

  Kristof Jonckheere becomes general director; Franky Devos leaves in June 2017 to become general coordinator of Vooruit in Ghent.

• 2007

  Franky Devos becomes director of Buda Kunstencentrum.

• 2006

  Budascoop reopens after a thorough renovation on Saturday 2 September 2006.

• 2004

  Buda Kunstencentrum is founded when Beeldenstorm vzw, Dans in Kortrijk vzw and Limelight vzw start a joint project; the former Pentascoop is converted into a cultural infrastructure with 3 film screens and 2 stage halls.

• 1975

  The Pentascoop opens as the first purpose-built multiplex cinema with five screens under one roof in Belgium, founded by the Kinepolis group.

• 1760

  The Tack brewery fermentation tower (later Budatoren) is built on the Buda island.

An arts centre combining arthouse cinema, performing arts workspace and festivals, with a focus on accessibility and community engagement.

• Budascoop arthouse cinema

  An arthouse cinema in the Kapucijnenstraat in the Buda district, with 3 film screens and 2 stage halls, showing daily new films and hosting theatre and dance performances.

• Budatoren rehearsal studios

  The restored fermentation tower of the former Tack brewery (1760) on the Buda island, with 5 rehearsal studios for national and international artists.

• BK6 co-office and exhibition space

  Broelkaai 6, the former Broelmuseum, used as a co-office with exhibition space and a hidden garden.

• Almost Summer festival

  A festival organised by Buda Kunstencentrum, featuring pay-what-you-can pricing.

• NEXT international arts festival

  An international arts festival organised with four other partners in Kortrijk, Lille (France) and Valenciennes (France).

• Ecopolis festival

  A festival organised by Buda Kunstencentrum.

1. 1kunstencentrum BUDAbuda.be
2. 2Buda Kunstencentrum - Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3Buda Kunstencentrum - Wikipedianl.wikipedia.org