‘Sugar Man’ searching for Oscar glory

On Sunday it won the best documentary award in London.

Searching for Sugar Man tells the story of a number of South African music fans who set out to find out what had happened to forgotten ’70s US singer Sixto Rodriguez. 

Rodriguez, also known as Jesus Rodriguez is portrayed as a source of hope and inspiration during apartheid before disappearing. He vanished after bursting on the scene with Cold Fact and rumours abounded that he had committed suicide. Some even said he had shot himself on stage.

This was at a time when young rock star deaths were not uncommon. Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Jim Morrison all died at the age of 27 around 1970.

The film features interviews with South African fans Stephen Segerman, Willem Möller and Robbie Mann.

It details their efforts to find out what had become of their musical hero, who had endured despite apartheid censorship.

For years fans were forced to rely on wild rumours about the musician’s mysterious fate.

The documentary also tells of the popularity Rodriguez’s politically conscious songs had during the apartheid era.

Searching for Sugar Man is a co-production between the United Kingdom and Sweden. Swedish director Malik Bendjelloul and producer Simon Chinn, already an Oscar winner in 2009 for the documentary Man in Wire, walked off with the Bafta.

Rodriguez, who last visited South Africa in 2005, is in the country for a tour.

He will perform nine sold-out shows in Cape Town and Johannesburg. His last show will be on Monday at Carnival City in Johannesburg.

Although he has been working on his music career since the 1960s, he is known for his hit albums Cold Fact in 1970 and Coming from Reality the following year.

The film has been nominated in the best documentary category at the Oscars, which airs on February 24.

It looks the hot favourite to scoop the Oscar and beat four other nominees. Searching for Sugar Man is proving a hit with critics and audiences alike.