SBS lines up Black Panther abuse doc

Australian public broadcaster SBS is preparing to air a documentary in which an indigenous woman breaks 40 years of silence to tell of her abuse in the Australian Black Panther protest movement.

Black Panther Woman is being produced by Blackfella Films and directed by Rachel Perkins. It will air on SBS on Sunday November 1 at 21.30.

The doc focuses on Marlene Cummins who fell in love with the leader of the Australian Black Panther Party, Denis Walker, in 1972 and was absorbed into his world.

However, unlike the American chapters of the Panthers, the Brisbane branch only ever comprised 10 members. Cummins became a victim of the party’s leaders but chose to stay silent, fearful and distrustful of the police and not wanting to damage the movement’s reputation.