Searching for Sugar Man

"Great Art Always Survives"

2012 1h 25m EN

🙌

7.9

BANGER

★7.9TMDB · 1,072

MusicDocumentary

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

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

“Great Art Always Survives”

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Cast

Stephen Segerman
Self
Rodriguez
Self
Regan Rodriguez
Self
Eva Rodriguez
Self
Mike Theodore
Self
Dennis Coffey
Self
Sandra Rodriguez-Kennedy
Self
Clarence Avant
Self

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Malik Bendjelloul
Writers: Malik Bendjelloul, Stephen Segerman, Craig Bartholomew Strydom
Languages: English
Countries: Sweden, United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

85 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $1.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 3.7× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 14 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Sweden, United Kingdom.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Malik Bendjelloul, shot by Camilla Skagerström. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Malik Bendjelloul shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Stephen Segerman and Rodriguez and Regan Rodriguez carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Malik Bendjelloul directs. Camilla Skagerström behind the camera. Malik Bendjelloul cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in Sweden, United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

185 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Shot for just $1.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
3Made its money back 3.7× over at the box office.
4Released 14 years ago.
5International production across 2 countries: Sweden, United Kingdom.
6Directed by Malik Bendjelloul, shot by Camilla Skagerström. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Editor Malik Bendjelloul shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Stephen Segerman and Rodriguez and Regan Rodriguez carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "Great Art Always Survives".
10IMDB entry: tt2125608 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 14 themes, including "musician", "1970s", "mayor", "south africa".
12Released under 14 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Camilla Skagerström
Editing: Malik Bendjelloul
Sound: Per Nyström
Runtime: 85 min · 1h 25m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $1,000,000
Box office: $3,696,196
Return: 370% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Searching for Sugar Man (2012)

Awards

Sundance World Cinema Special Jury Prize Documentary
Guldbagge Award for Best Documentary Feature
Amanda Award for Best Foreign Feature Film
Sundance World Cinema Audience Award: Documentary
Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Andres Gomez2014-04-05
★ 6/10
An interesting story in a well driven story and high quality cut. However, it tries to be much more epic than what it actually is.
Cavalli2019-08-11
★ 8/10
An unlikely and interesting story that is part historical, part investigation and ultimately satisfying. The historical backdrop of South Africa's dictatorship years and of the lack of communication it had with the outside world are key in understanding why this strange story could happen in the first place.
Igbochild2022-07-06
★ 10/10
An endlessly fascinating and compelling story involving Rodriguez, a talented American singer-songwriter that should have been a household name, but instead quickly faded into obscurity. Long rumored to have died under tragic circumstances, his music develops a cult following among the Afrikaner youth. Rebelling against the oppressive and isolationist system of Apartheid, Rodriguez's music becomes a soundtrack for their lives. The documentary unfolds like a mystery story with unexpected twists and turns along the way. As the audience is taken on this journey, we are introduced to Rodriguez's songs (including some previously unreleased material) which while reminiscent of Bob Dylan and other artists on the scene in the early 1970s, the music is distinctly his own. A must see documentary for music fans.