Thanks to director Darius Devas for emailing us about his interview from SXSW 2012 with Malik Bendjelloul, the late director of Searching For Sugar Man. In this five-minute interview, a thoroughly engaged Bendjelloul talks about finding his story, constructing a narrative that builds from one “and then” moment to another, and the human brain’s close resemblance to a chimpanzee’s.

When Swedish director Malik Bendjelloul first came across the story of ’70s singer/songwriter/cult-hero Rodriguez, it must have seemed too good to be true, especially for a music-focused documentarian. Sixto Rodriguez, the Detroit-based troubadour who blended street-savvy folk, rock, and socially conscious soul on two under-the-radar early-‘70s albums, was completely unknown in America (and almost everywhere else) for decades. But in a twist worthy of an O. Henry story, Rodriguez (who has always worked solely under his surname), somehow ended up an iconic figure in South Africa, where his reputation assumed Bob Dylan-esque dimensions. The catch: most South Africans have long […]

[PREMIERE SCREENING: Thursday, January 19 9:30 pm –Library Center Theatre, Park City] I’m a filmmaker because it’s one of very few activities I know of that can completely absorb me. Both when shooting and editing, it’s a pure creative state of mind where I can forget everything else—sometimes even that I’m hungry—because I’m so absorbed. That’s why I do this—it’s a job that you can never grew tired of. Every day there are new creative challenges to overcome and new ideas to come up with in order to do that. You’re constantly moving. I like that. The choice to use […]