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Looking for Langston

Panorama 2025
© Isaac Julien
The 1989 film Looking for Langston, shot in sumptuous black and white, is a lyrical exploration – and recreation – of the private world of the poet, novelist, playwright, columnist and social activist Langston Hughes (1902–1967) and his fellow Black artists and writers who formed the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s. At the time of its making, the film’s director Sir Isaac Julien was part of the Sankofa Film and Video Collective which was set up to promote the development of independent Black filmmaking. He was supported by the film critic and curator Mark Nash, who worked on the original archival and film research. The result is a landmark film in the exploration of artistic expression, the nature of desire and the reciprocity of the gaze which became a key work in what B. Ruby Rich named “New Queer Cinema”. Looking for Langston is also regarded as a touchstone in the field of African American Studies and has been part of the curriculum at North American universities, colleges and art schools for almost 30 years.
by Isaac Julien (Director, Screenplay)
with Ben Ellison, Matthew Baidoo, Akim Mogaji, John Wilson, Dencil Williams, Guy Burgess, James Dublin, Harry Donaldson United Kingdom 1989 English 46' Black/White

With

  • Ben Ellison (Alex)
  • Matthew Baidoo (Beauty)
  • Akim Mogaji (James)
  • John Wilson (Karl)
  • Dencil Williams (Marcus)
  • Guy Burgess (Dean)
  • James Dublin (Carlos)
  • Harry Donaldson (Leatherboy)

Crew

Director Isaac Julien
Screenplay Isaac Julien
Cinematography Nina Kellgren
Editing Robert Hargreaves
Music Wayson Jones, Trevor Mathison
Sound Design Martin Jackson, Ronald Bailey
Production Design Derek Brown
Producer Nadine Marsh-Edwards

Produced by

JN Films

Photos

Isaac Julien

The artist and filmmaker was born in London, UK in 1960. His debut film Looking for Langston screened in the 1989 Panorama and won the Teddy Award for Best Short Film. His feature Young Soul Rebels won the 1991 Semaine de la Critique prize at Cannes. In 2008, he received the Special Teddy for Derek, his documentary about Derek Jarman. His films and installations have featured in numerous renowned international museums. His recent solo exhibition at Tate Britain in London also toured Germany and the Netherlands. He is a Distinguished Professor of the Arts at the University of California Santa Cruz where he co-leads the Moving Image Lab with Mark Nash. He is a recipient of The Royal Academy of Arts Charles Wollaston Award and a Kaiserring Goslar Award. He was granted a knighthood as part of the Queen’s Honours List in 2022.

Filmography (selection)

1983 Who Killed Colin Roach?; short film 1984 Teritories; short film 1986 The Passion of Remembrance (Die Leidenschaft der Erinnerung); co-director 1987 This Is Not an AIDS Advertisement; short film 1989 Looking for Langston; short film 1991 Young Soul Rebels 1993 The Attendant; short film 1994 The Darker Side of Black; documentary 1996 Frantz Fanon, Black Skin White Mask; documentary 2002 BaadAsssss Cinema; documentary 2008 Derek; documentary 2010 Better Life 2014 Playtime 2019 Lessons of the Hour 2025 Once Again... (Statues Never Die); short film

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2025