Following the departure of artistic director Mathilde Villeneuve, BUDA is reshaping its artistic team, combining continuity with a stronger focus on the city. Together, we keep BUDA’s door open to new ideas and voices.
Arts centre BUDA (Kortrijk) is a house with many rooms. To the wider public, it is best known as an arthouse cinema with a strong commitment to people in a vulnerable situation, and as a (co-)organiser of festivals such as NEXT, Almost Summer and the ScholenFilmFestival. But BUDA is also the largest workspace for theatre makers and choreographers in Flanders, welcoming 80 companies every year to work on new performances.
Following Mathilde Villeneuve’s departure for Bordeaux (now Pedagogical Director at the École Supérieure des Beaux-Arts), and with the new 2028–2032 policy period ahead, BUDA is reshaping its artistic team. It is opting for continuity and internal progression, while also making room for renewal.
Artistic Coordinator Bram Coeman will lead BUDA’s artistic programme and take responsibility for performing arts programming, while Kevin Decoster oversees the film programme following the recent retirement of Lieve Vankeirsbulck. Two new roles have also been created: a Residency Programme Coordinator and a City Programme Coordinator.
Bouchra Lamsyeh will take up the role of Residency Programme Coordinator in 2027, following a selection process involving 113 candidates from nine countries. She co-directed Bâtard Festival in Brussels and collaborated with Kaaitheater, workspacebrussels, kunstplaatsvonk, globe aroma and others. She is currently the artistic director of babaji (FR) and works in Belgium and internationally as dramaturg with artists including Yasmine Yahiatene, Hannah Schillinger, Netti Nüganen. Bouchra: “BUDA holds a very specific place within the cultural landscape of Flanders, Belgium and Europe. I am truly looking forward to carrying forward the spirit and tradition of the house: giving artists the time and space to research, experiment and grow, at every stage of their artistic process. With the same care, curiosity and dedication, I hope to nurture the encounters and possibilities that make every residency unique. Together with the BUDA team, we will keep the door open to new ideas, voices and artistic forms, while continuing to build on BUDA’s legacy and a shared vision for the years ahead.” She starts on Monday November 5.
Famke Struyve, currently responsible for artist hospitality and audience engagement in the performing arts programme, will become City Programme Coordinator. Over the past few years, her experience and approach have opened BUDA’s doors to many people who might otherwise find it more difficult to connect with the organisation. Famke: “Combining audience engagement with the role of City Programme Coordinator demonstrates BUDA’s ambition to strengthen its connection with the city. This can take shape through participatory projects initiated by artists, but equally through working with different groups or with organisations such as DURF, which respond to societal needs and use culture as a lever for change. BUDA’s strength lies in its broad network of both artists and local groups and organisations. We are convinced that bringing these people together and enabling them to collaborate can generate tremendous added value.”
Kristof Jonckheere, General Director of BUDA: “Since its very beginnings in 2006, Arts Centre BUDA has connected the ‘local’ with the ‘international’. That will remain the case, but by reshaping our artistic team, we are strengthening our local roots without compromising our international expertise or ambition.”
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