One of the most glamorous red carpet events that were first presented in May 1926 at a private brunch at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel took place this weekend. That’s right; the Academy Awards was broadcasted last night and today a lot of attention falls under the South African population especially in Cape Town.
A lot of credit goes to the South African fans. Why? Searching for Sugar Man tells the story of a Detroit singer-songwriter Rodriguez who didn’t quite make the cut overseas. Unknowingly, he formed some type of cult in the heart of South Africa. Defined as the South African Beatles or the South African Elvis, and he does not even know about it!
Directed by Swedish/British director Malik Bendjelloul, searching for Sugar Man is about two die hard Rodriguez fans who tried to trace him down after allegedly reported that he has passed away (suicide). They wanted to know whether or not this is true and what had become of Rodriguez and that it would make an interesting story.
Searching for Sugar Man was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature with 4 other documentaries namely Broken Cameras, The Gatekeepers, How to Survive a Plaque, and The Invisible War.
Described as the soundtrack to our lives and still unsure about how the first copy made it to Cape Town, Rodriguez thanked his crowd for keeping him alive.
If you have not yet seen Searching for Sugar Man (like me) have a look at this trailer and then run to your nearest video store and go rent it!
