About

Award-winning British installation artist and filmmaker Isaac Julien’s debut feature Looking for Langston is a poetic reflection on the experiences of queer Black men during the Harlem Renaissance.

Shining a light on the life and legacy of the African-American poet Langston Hughes, Looking for Langston is a seductive, dreamlike meditation on Hughes’ life and work and a poetic commentary on the experiences of queer Black men during this time. Throughout the film, Julien seamlessly interweaves extracts from Hughes' poetry with unforgettably lush black and white visual stylings (akin to the work of American photographer Robert Mapplethorpe) to explore themes of love, desire, oppression, and artistic expression.

A powerful and evocative exploration of the life and work of one of America’s greatest poets, Looking for Langston is a multilayered narrative masterpiece that celebrates the life and legacy of this cultural icon.

M | Contains occasional coarse language and adult themes