Cuts Make the Country Better

from February 10 to February 26, 2016 Film presentation of «Cuts Make the Country Better» on February 17, 2016 at 7pm

LA CHAMBRE BLANCHE welcomes artists Edith Brunette and François Lemieux, for a research residency from February 10 to February 26, 2016. Within the framework of this residency, they will present their documentary entitled ’’Cuts Make the Country Better’’ shot in the Netherlands. They will also proceed to the launching of the most recent issue of Le Merle magazine. In 2011, the Netherlands government proceeded to drastic budget cuts in their support for public arts. Until then, their support had been amongst the most respected in the world, akin to the Canadian program. François Lemieux and Edith Brunette decided to go to the Netherlands in 2014 to film a series of interviews with artists and cultural workers about the circumstances and the effects of such cuts : the reasons that kept the milieu from counteracting or even simply from limiting the scope of the cuts, the consequences of this failure, but also the many political and artistic initiatives born of this situation. These interviews gave birth to the documentary ‘’Cuts Make the Country Better’’. There will be a screening of the film at LA CHAMBRE BLANCHE on February 17, 2016 at 7pm, followed by a discussion.The film is in English with French subtitles. During their residency at LA CHAMBRE BLANCHE, Brunette and Lemieux plan to film interviews with artists and cultural workers in Quebec City, with the goal of adding a Canadian segment to the documentary. They wish to initiate a collective reflection on the state of art in Canada, the present organization of the milieu and our ability to think and act collectively in this age of massive overhaul changes and of budget cuts already initiated in the support of public arts.