Blak Douglas
vs The Commonwealth (Film Screening)

Presented by Penrith Regional Gallery

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

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

Beginning with old family photographs, he follows his grandmother’s 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.

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.