Searching for Sugar Man (2012)

Two South Africans set out to discover what happened to their unlikely musical hero, the mysterious 1970s rock n roller, Rodriguez.

Director:

Malik Bendjelloul

Writers:

Malik Bendjelloul, Stephen 'Sugar' Segerman (article)

Stars:

Rodriguez, Stephen 'Sugar' Segerman, Dennis Coffey

Won 1 Oscar. Another 43 wins & 33 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Stephen 'Sugar' Segerman	...	Self - Record Shop Owner
Dennis Coffey	...	Self - Co-Producer, Cold Fact 1970
Mike Theodore	...	Self - Co-Producer, Cold Fact 1970
Dan DiMaggio	...	Self - Bartender, The Brewery
Jerome Ferretti	...	Self - Bricklayer
Steve Rowland	...	Self - Producer, Coming from Reality 1971
Willem Möller	...	Self - Musician
Craig Bartholomew Strydom	...	Self - Music Journalist (as Craig Bartholomew-Strydom)
Ilse Assmann	...	Self - Former Apartheid Archivist
Steve M. Harris	...	Self - Teal Trutone
Robbie Mann	...	Self - RPM Records
Clarence Avant	...	Self - Former Chairman of Motown Records
Eva Rodriguez	...	Self - Rodriguez's Eldest Daughter
Rodriguez	...	Self (as Sixto Rodriguez)
Regan Rodriguez	...	Self - Rodriguez's Youngest Daughter

Storyline

In the early 1970s, Sixto Rodriguez was a Detroit folksinger who had a short-lived recording career with only two well received but non-selling albums. Unknown to Rodriguez, his musical story continued in South Africa where he became a pop music icon and inspiration for generations. Long rumored there to be dead by suicide, a few fans in the 1990s decided to seek out the truth of their hero's fate. What follows is a bizarrely heartening story in which they found far more in their quest than they ever hoped, while a Detroit construction laborer discovered that his lost artistic dreams came true after all.

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Plot Keywords:

songwriter | presumed dead | censorship | search | recording artist | 

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Taglines:

He was a star in the making, who vanished without a trace. But on the other side of the world, he inspired a generation.

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Genres:

Documentary | Biography | Music

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for brief strong language and some drug references

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Malik Bendjelloul traced all the illustrations on oven paper as a mock up for the 3D animations he never could afford to have made. Thus the oven paper illustrations made it to the final cut.

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Goofs

During the credits there is a spelling error - It says "Mabu Vinly" instead of "Mabu Vinyl"

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Quotes

Rodriguez: Thanks for keeping me alive!

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Connections

Featured in The Oscars (2013)

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Soundtracks

I'll Slip Away
Written by Rodriguez (as Sixto Rodriguez)
Courtesy of Hey Day Entertainment, LLC by arrangement
with Light in the Attic Records & Distribution, LLC

User Reviews

Long lost gem. Lovely movie and a must for fans of Dylan-esque music

I caught this movie at an advanced screening at the UN during Mandela week and I must say I was pleasantly surprised by the movie and even more enthralled to discover this long, lost gem of music. The movie revolves around an up-and-coming Rock'n'roller from the 70s who recorded two albums and then disappeared into obscurity. His music was lost in the US but by a strange coincidence becomes a cult hit in South Africa and becomes a symbol of rebellion for the underground white, anti-apartheid sub-culture. The documentary is a lovely journey of discovery of the south africans who try to find the roots of this enigma and re-discover his music. I won't spoil too much but for fans of Dylan like music, this might be a long, lost gem and music that perhaps, at least now, deserves more recognition and appreciation.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [United States]

Country:

Sweden UK Finland

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 July 2012 (UK)

Also Known As:

Searching for Sugar Man

Filming Locations:

Cape Town, South Africa

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$27,459, 29 July 2012

Gross USA:

$3,696,196

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$9,133,712

Company Credits

Production Co:

Red Box Films, Passion Pictures, Canfield Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1