Citylab

Citylab is the audiovisual hub of Pianofabriek.


We support Brussels-based makers, stories and experiments in film and other audiovisual practices.

Our mission is simple: strengthening your ideas and building a creative city where every voice is heard.

Our principle: You ask, we think along.

Everyone is welcome. You don’t need experience, a diploma or technical knowledge. We start from your idea and support you from there.

What can you come to us for?

🤝 Creation & Collaboration

  • Guidance for audiovisual projects at every stage (from script to distribution).
  • Production support and matching with makers, partners and organisations.
  • Workspaces, brainstorming rooms and an editing suite (iMac + Adobe Suite + active Mackie monitors + calibrated screen).

🎬 Programming & Networking

  • Film screenings in and outside Pianofabriek.
  • Film club, showcases and festivals such as System D.
  • Talks, workshops, masterclasses and networking moments to spark new collaborations.

🏫 School Work (Final Years of Secondary Education)

  • Workshops, film screenings with Q&A and tailor‑made programmes.
  • Support for schools that want to organise something themselves.

Platform

Citylab is a place where you can participate, learn, and submit your own proposals. Together, we build a vibrant platform for audiovisual creation in Brussels.
 

Contact

Do you have a question? Our team is ready to think along with you.

Samira Hmouda audiovisual artistcoach & Film Festival System_D
Christopher Daley production & project follow-up
Alhasan Yousef: project staff member
Nour Aarabi: School activities & programming
 

Background

Brussels is the beating heart of the country: it inspires, challenges, and demands reflection and action. As an urban laboratory, Citylab is an incubator for stories that emerge from the city and are often overlooked.

As a team, we primarily support self-taught Brussels-based creators by offering them work and residency spaces, advice, production support, masterclasses, and networking opportunities, doing so as much as possible based on their needs and practices. We create a platform for these films and stories through, among other things, festivals, screenings, and talks, as well as a school program around film within the N22.

Over the years, the Citylab team has supported dozens of young self-taught Brussels artists, many of whom have since developed professional careers. In addition, the Citylab team has been the driving force behind the System_D festival (in collaboration with KVS), Inside Out festival, and There’s Nothing Wrong with People (in collaboration with Kaaitheater), as well as the publications Redistributing Power (in collaboration with Demos) and Superdiversity & Democracy (EPO), the first editions of the Congolisation festival, and the debate series Beyond Us & Them (in collaboration with KifKif)…

You can reach out to the team regarding an audiovisual project in development, a (film) program at Pianofabriek or other venues, school programs in Brussels, or for advice and/or collaborations on themes relevant to the capital. For more information, contact Christopher.daley@pianofabriek.be and samira.hmouda@pianofabriek.be.