Spike Lee directed this made-for-cable adaptation of Roger Guenveur Smith's one-man show about the life and times of Huey P. Newton, who as one of the founders and key strategists of the Black Panther Party was among the most respected and feared figures in the Black Power movement of the late '60s and early '70s. A Huey P. Newton Story combines footage of Smith's play being performed before a live audience (featuring Smith, a member of Spike Lee's stock company, in the title role) with newsreel clips of Newton and his contemporaries at the height of their notoriety. A Huey P. Newton Story had its world premiere on the Black Starz premium cable network on June 18, 2001; the film was later shown on the PBS and African Heritage networks. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi