Looking for Langston
Introduced by Isaac Julien and Pablo Martínez, MACBA head of Programmes. Roundtable following the screening with the director chaired by Tanya Barson.
Looking for Langston, Isaac Julien, 1989, digital, b/w, 46 min, VOSE.
Described by Isaac Julien as a non-narrative monochrome documentary, it examines the private life of African-American activist, poet, screenwriter and columnist Langston Hughes (1902–1967) and his relationship with other black and gay artists and writers, with whom he organised the Harlem Renaissance movement during the 1920s. It was directed while Julien was part of Sankofa, with critic and curator Mark Nash assisting in the research. In addition to being a precursor to the New Queer Cinema, for the last thirty years this documentary has been a benchmark in African-American studies at American universities and art schools.
