Ten years ago, in Brussels’ Northern Quarter, the refugee platform Cinemaximiliaan was founded. A bottom-up meeting place for artists from all over the world, fleeing injustice and violence. Since the harsh winter of 2023, Cinemaximiliaan has taken the initiative to invite newcomers and people in transit — who were forced to sleep on and around the bridge near the Petit Château — to write down their own stories. Today, Brussels-based artists’ house Needcompany is challenged to create, together with them as performers and writers, the theatre production Bridge Stories, taking their narratives as a starting point.
 

“The world has changed so many times.
So many times the world has changed.”

— Yüksel Çilingir
 

This participatory collaboration explores the transformative power of art through performance, music, video and text. The mission of this project: to transform this Babylonian multitude of voices, in the turbulent heart of Europe, into a full-length performance about togetherness. That is the strength of Cinemaximiliaan: making time to understand by taking people seriously. Bridge Stories, a sense of belonging is an ambiguous celebration that seeks to “bridge” chasms and intertwine life stories. Perhaps this is the most beautiful definition of what connects us: art as an ambiguous celebration.

Cinemaximiliaan

You probably know the story of Cinemaximiliaan. This refugee platform, founded ten years ago in Brussels, has grown into a meeting place for creative people from all over the world who are fleeing injustice and violence. The open “living room” workshops on Saturdays form the backbone of our socio-cultural activities, always preceded by cooking and sharing a meal together. The aim is to forge new intercultural friendships. This often results in powerful creations with a participatory approach.

Needcompany

Needcompany (°1986) is the artists’ house of Maarten Seghers, Victor Lauwers, Grace Ellen Barkey and Jan Lauwers. It brings together their multidisciplinary artistic work — theatre, dance, performance, music, visual arts, text… Their creations are presented worldwide in a wide range of contexts, from major festivals to off-spaces. Since 2025, Needcompany has been in residence under the artistic leadership of Maarten Seghers.

Credits

AUTEURS EN PERFORMERS Alassane Cisse, Aminullah Salarzai, Ana Oliveira, Anas Ahmad Bari, Aous Hamdan, Bouchi Ahmad, Davin Bishariza, Diallito Alhousseny, Eva De Pue, Faridullah Mahir, Galass Leye, Habiba El Aakchiou, Hanxi Wu, Ibo Mohamed Qashta, Johara Belhmane, Khairullah Noorzai, Koné Djak, Lubnan Al Wazny, Mariana Al Hanash, Omar Kasmiry, Panagiota Theofilopoulou, Rasim Aşan, Samsam Abdi Jama, Sophia Thoenes, Yasmine Ghazaleh Ainie, Yüksel Çilingir ARTISTIEK CONCEPT Cinemaximiliaan; Annabelle Van Nieuwenhuyse & Omar Kasmiry ARTISTIEKE CREATIE Needcompany; Grace Ellen Barkey, Maarten Seghers, Elke Janssens & Jan Lauwers TECHNIEK Rune Floryn, Astrid Vansteenkiste, Jérémy Michel, Yousif Akl, Waleed Alhossary PRODUCTIE Cinemaximiliaan & Needcompany CINEMAXIMILIAAN Ahmed Abu Awad, Alice Carson, Annabelle Van Nieuwenhuyse, Ashour Lafi, Leonor Galao, Luz Rommel NEEDCOMPANY Pieter D’Hooghe, Joery Scheepers, Vibe Stalpaert COPRODUCTIE KVS, Passa Porta Festival, Migratie Museum Migration MET DE STEUN VAN de Vlaamse Overheid, VAF, VGC, Imago Brussel, European Solidarity Corps, CERV MET DANK AAN Anouk Vancoillie, Artem Kocharyan, Carmien Michels, Eva De Pue, Frank Brutsaert, Gharam Maddem, Haleh Chinikar, Halil Baysoy, Hamed Dehqan, Hasan Hammouda, Issaga Bah, Jana Debaene, Jasper Walgrave, Karima Qias, Khanwise, Kristof Van Hoorde, Lieve Meeussen, Lot Lemm, Marthe Tskasa Fimi, Maxime Savoldi, Mohamad Sulaiman, Naqibullah Safi, Majdi Abu Hasira, Marjolein Schepers, Nathaniel Moore, Ngangi Mutiri, Rola Zamzameh, Rombout Willems, Shafiullah Sahil, Việt Vũ, Wafiullah, Wahidiullah Qadamkhel