WHAT?! RIP Malik Bendjelloul, Oscar-winning director.
I suddenly became curious about what singer Sixto Rodriguez was up to, and did an Internet search. I'd learned about him through a very powerful documentary called "Searching for Sugar Man." The documentary is about folk/soul singer Sixto Rodrguez who lived in poverty-stricken obscurity in Detroit while simultaneously being a big star and cult icon in South Africa.
The story of how the documentary was made is as amazing as the documentary's topic. The documentary was cobbled together on a shoestring budget, using available resources including an iPhone (!) to shoot it...and the director went on to win an Oscar for it. I just assumed that the future was bright for this young director, with resources inevitably becoming available to him. Then I just found out that he just died at age 36!
Oscar-winning 'Searching for Sugar Man' director dies at 36
The story of how the documentary was made is as amazing as the documentary's topic. The documentary was cobbled together on a shoestring budget, using available resources including an iPhone (!) to shoot it...and the director went on to win an Oscar for it. I just assumed that the future was bright for this young director, with resources inevitably becoming available to him. Then I just found out that he just died at age 36!
Oscar-winning 'Searching for Sugar Man' director dies at 36