Le balai libéré, 2023, documentary, 89 min, BE/FR ST EN

In the 1970s, the cleaning women of the Catholic University of Louvain kicked out their boss and created their own cleaning cooperative, Le Balai Libéré. Fifty years later, the university's cleaning staff meet the workers of the past: is working without a boss still an option?

A film by Coline Grando.

18:30 (doors)
19:00 film screening
20:30 conversation
21:15 connecting over a drink and vegan snacks
22:30 (end)

Conversation in French and English, w/ soto & nadjim, director Coline Grando, Christiane Vandenhove & Monique Kerouanton, who were part of the cooperative Le Balai Libéré, and Felipe Van Keirsbilck, secretary general of the Centrale Nationale des Employés (CNE/CSC).

Vegan snacks included.

Coline Grando, born in France, obtained a master's degree in Directing from IAD in 2015 with her graduation film, a short fiction film, Les Saisons. She directed her first documentary, La Place de l’homme, produced by the Centre Vidéo de Bruxelles. The film explores the role of the partner in an unplanned pregnancy through the testimonies of five men aged between 20 and 40. Through these life stories, the director offers a perspective on male-female relationships. In 2019, she continued to explore the topic of abortion, this time from the perspective of the doctors who perform it, with Les mains des femmes, commissioned by the Fédération Laïque des Centres de Planning Familial and the CVB. The film gives voice to doctors and their experiences. How do they feel about performing abortions? Why do they do it? What do they take away from it? Where do their fears lie, but also their convictions?

Her latest film, Le balai libéré, examines self-management and current working conditions through the experiences of two generations of workers who have cleaned the same place—the Catholic University of Louvain—45 years apart.

about

Hors-d'oeuvre is conceived as a screening programme where nadjim bigou-fathi and soto labor wish to share films they have come across during their research into the Frsh (search for an object in a pocket) project. These screenings will lead to an open discussion between speakers and members of the public. This invitation aims to reflect collectively on issues such as managing our narratives, the conditions under which they are produced and the power relationships they imply.

NADJIM BIGOU-FATHI (1990, FR) is a designer, visual artist and performer. He is interested in the emergence of boundaries – from walls to words – and the normative, territorial or authoritarian dynamics that underpin them. Through curatorial, sculptural and performance projects, he examines situations of expectation and anticipation, questioning the power relations between participants.
https://www.instagram.com/nadj.big.fat

SOTO LABOR (1993, FR) is a poet, visual artist and performer. Strongly influenced by hip-hop as a means of empowerment, he explores different forms of narrative and performance, while examining the conditions under which discourse is exercised. He produces short stories, fables, poems and rap lyrics as critical tools.
​​​​​​​​​​​​​​https://www.instagram.com/s_t_o_a_s_t_o/

soto & nadjim were part of the Beursschouwburg associated artists from 2022 to 2024.