The Board of the Flanders Audiovisual Fund (VAF) has appointed Karla Puttemans as its new managing director. As the current Head of Creation and Talent Development, she is no stranger either to the sector or the organization. Puttemans will take over from the current director, Koen Van Bockstal, who is stepping down earlier than expected due to health reasons, VAF writes in a statement released March 11 2025.
“Flanders is bursting with audiovisual and gaming talent, and that talent is being recognized both nationally and internationally,” says Puttemans [transalted from Flemish]. “Together with an enthusiastic and capable team, I want to put all my experience and insight to work to help our creators, producers, and audience organizations shine. I’m honoured to have the Board’s trust for this role and I look forward to engaging in dialogue with our Flemish Ministers of Culture and Media.”
In addition to her long-standing career at the VAF, where she has consistently been involved in every expansion and innovation, Puttemans also built an impressive career before joining the Fund. She previously led the Dutch-language division of the authors’ association SACD/SCAM, which later evolved into De Auteurs, and headed the audiovisual department at the authors’ rights organization SABAM. She then worked as a policy officer at the European Parliament, where she followed European audiovisual and cultural policy more broadly. Furthermore, she has contributed to various advisory bodies such as the Media Council and the Council for Culture, and played a key role in founding several organizations, including the Network of Screenwriters (the predecessor to the Screenwriters Guild) and the non-profit Flemish Film Institute.
“In recent years, Puttemans has proven herself to be a unifying people manager with both a passion for and deep knowledge of the sector,” VAF writes. “With a well-thought-out vision and clear plan for the future, she looks forward to continuing to build the Flemish audiovisual and gaming sector.”
