Searching for Sugar Man

A fantastic Oscar-winning music documentary about how an American artist became a hero of resistance during apartheid, without knowing anything about it. By coincidence, music by American Rodriguez found its way to South Africa, the country that had practiced a brutal, discriminatory apartheid policy since the 1940s. This politically radical musician released two albums in the early 70s that struck a nerve with a large group of frustrated white South Africans. Pirate copies circulated and eventually the records were released on vinyl, selling thousands of copies. Yet people knew practically nothing about him, beyond the rumour that he had died under dramatic circumstances. In the 90s, parallel to South Africa changing its political course and the internet making information searches and contact easier, two men began to investigate Rodriguez's story. It led them to Detroit and a construction worker of Mexican background, who was still alive and had no idea of the status he held in South Africa. Malik Bendjelloul's Oscar-winning documentary unravels the incredible story and lets us witness the touching moment when Rodriguez holds his very first concert for his South African fans.