Kortrijk, Belgium
Budascoop is an arthouse cinema operated by the Arts Centre Buda in Kortrijk, Belgium. The venue underwent a major transition in 2006, evolving from a regular mainstream cinema (formerly known as Penta Scoop) into a collaborative cultural institution that houses dance, art, and film. The core of Budascoop’s identity is its “more than a movie” philosophy, which drives its deep and active integration with local social and community organizations.
Spaces
The cinema operates in an older building that currently presents structural challenges for wheelchair accessibility. Rather than letting this stall their inclusive efforts, the venue actively and creatively utilizes city and government subsidies to fund specialized, alternative inclusivity projects that cater to neurodiverse, hearing-impaired, and visually-impaired audiences within their existing space.
Programming
Budascoop has significantly grown its audience base, expanding from just 3 – 4 movies a week in 2006 to around 20 weekly screenings today. While its foundation is arthouse cinema, it strategically programs well-regarded blockbusters (such as Barbie, Oppenheimer, or Moana) to lower the threshold for new and diverse audiences, ensuring they only screen popular films the staff genuinely stands behind. They frequently partner with local LGBTQ+ and migration groups to host community cafes and discussion panels immediately following relevant screenings. A major weekly highlight is their Sunday afternoon children’s movie, which is paired with an interactive component.
Communication
Recognizing that traditional digital marketing often fails to reach marginalized groups, Budascoop insists on a highly “hands-on” and personal communication strategy. Staff members physically visit schools, sit down with teachers, and host guided tours for local organizations to explain their offerings face-to-face. Additionally, they intentionally avoid standard written surveys – which can exclude non-Dutch speakers – and instead rely entirely on face-to-face feedback and open email channels to listen to their audience.
Services
Recognising that ticket costs are a major barrier, Budascoop offers highly inclusive pricing structures. They provide a €20 monthly “Kubo” subscription (similar to Netflix) that encourages audiences to take risks on smaller arthouse films. For marginalized groups, they offer a heavily subsidized €2 ticket, co-funded by the city. Even standard tickets are kept at an affordable €7, significantly lower than the €14 average at larger Belgian multiplexes.
Organisational Approach
Budascoop treats accessibility and audience outreach as an internal priority rather than an outsourced task. They employ a dedicated audience development person specifically for the film department. In assessing their practices, they strictly follow the “nothing about us without us” principle in partnership with NOOZO (Belgian Disability Advisory Council). To ensure their initiatives genuinely work, they invite “experts by experience” – individuals with visual, hearing, or neurodiverse impairments – to physically test the venue, app functionality, and audio volumes.
Cinema-to-Cinema Advice
- Do not just rely on the programming to sell itself. Having a dedicated staff member who actively visits local organizations and talks to people face-to-face is essential for bringing marginalized groups into the cinema.
- Give audiences different ways to interact with your venue. Providing free pre-movie workshops, open-air screenings, or post-movie community cafes encourages people to claim the space and build their own community.
- Strategically showing high-quality, popular films at an affordable price can attract families who are priced out of expensive commercial multiplexes. Once they experience the welcoming environment, they are much more likely to return for arthouse offerings.
