Blak Douglas
vs The Commonwealth (Film Screening)

Presented by Penrith Regional Gallery

Blak Douglas vs The Commonwealth (2024). Directed by Angelica Cristina Dio.

Celebrate NAIDOC Week with the screening of ‘Blak Douglas vs The Commonwealth’, followed by a Q&A with Blak Douglas (Dhungatti/German/Irish/Scottish) in conversation with Toby Chapman, Director of Penrith Regional Gallery.

In this documentary, Blak Douglas shares his experiences of tracing his grandmother’s story.

Beginning with old family photographs, he follows her life back to the Cootamundra Girls Home, where she became a Ward of the State—stripped of her name, language, family, and culture, and forced into servitude. At the NSW State Archives, he unearths the harrowing machinations of a system that deliberately fragmented his family.

Blak Douglas tells his story, his way, in a gripping testament to the spirit and transformative power of art to address injustices of the past. His reflections are powerful, brutally honest, and disarming, establishing him as one of the most vital voices in the Australian arts landscape.

The screening of ‘Blak Douglas vs The Commonwealth’ coincides with Blak Douglas’ mid-career survey exhibition, ‘The Halfway Line’, on display at Penrith Regional Gallery, open daily from 10am to 4pm until 20 July 2025.

National NAIDOC Week 2025 runs from 6-13 July and marks 50 years of honoring and elevating Indigenous voices, culture, and resilience. The 2025 theme is The Next Generation: Strength, Vision and Legacy.

This event is proudly funded by the NSW Government through the 2025 NAIDOC Grants Program.

AUDIENCE INFORMATION

Duration: 90 min + 30 min Q&A with Blak Douglas.

This film is unclassified.

Venue location: Q Theatre, Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre, 597 High Street Penrith

Don’t miss Blak Douglas: The Halfway Line, a major mid-career survey exhibition running until Sunday, 20 July 2025.