Malik Bendjelloul / Sweden / 2012 / 86min

Synopsis:

Searching for Sugar Man is a 2012 Swedish–British documentary film directed and written by Malik Bendjelloul, which details the efforts of two Cape Town fans in the late 1990s, Stephen 'Sugar' Segerman and Craig Bartholomew Strydom, to find out whether the rumored death of American musician Sixto Rodriguez was true, and, if not, to discover what had become of him. Rodriguez's music, which never took off in the United States, had become wildly popular in South Africa, but little was known about him there.On 10 February 2013, the film won the BAFTA Award for Best Documentary at the 66th British Academy Film Awards in London, and two weeks later it won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature at the 85th Academy Awards.

Director Bio:

Based in Stockholm, Malik Bendjelloul has been directing documentaries for twelve years, primarily based on musicians. In 2001, Bendjelloul directed the first ever documentary about German electronic pioneers Kraftwerk. He has also made a documentary series about the history of heavy metal as well as some single documentaries, collaborating with such iconic artists as Björk, Sting, Elton John, Rod Stewart, Madonna, Mariah Carey, U2, and Kylie Minogue.

Bendjelloul has also worked as director and creative producer for Swedish Television's international cultural weekly show Kobra, where he made short documentaries covering a wide range of stories. He has made stories about the controversial British pop band The KLF burning a million pounds and a film exploring the rumors surrounding Paul McCartney's death.

Bendjelloul has also designed and directed title sequences for several high-profile Swedish TV shows and has directed music videos and commercials.

Bendjelloul committed suicide in 2014.

Awards:

Best Documentary 2013, Academy Awards

Audience Award & IDFA Melkweg Award for Best Music Documentary 2012, Amsterdam International Documentary Film Festival