Shot in sumptuous monochrome, Looking for Langston is a lyrical exploration and recreation of the private world of poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist Langston Hughes and his fellow black artists and writers who formed the Harlem Renaissance during the 1920s. Opening the film is a voice-over of the original radio broadcast made in tribute to Langston Hughes upon his death in 1967 as the scene of his funeral is recreated and reinterpreted.