At first glance it seems as though filmmaker Malik Bendjelloul came out of nowhere, made documentary "Searching for Sugar Man" on his home computer, then floated onto the red carpet to be awarded an Oscar.
"In fact, it was incredibly hard work," says the Swedish director in a phone interview with The Japan Times of his Academy Awards best documentary-winner, in which he unravels how obscure 1970s American folk singer Sixto Rodriguez became a major star in South Africa — without realizing.
"For four whole years, I lived and breathed 'Sugar Man.' It dominated every waking moment and it seeped into my dreams. For four years, there was nothing else in my life. That was how I got the film made."