Oscar Hopes High for 'Sugar Man' After DGA Triumph

'Searching for Sugar Man' looks the hot favourite to scoop the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature after filmmaker Malik Bendjelloul picks up the top prize from the Directors Guild of America.

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5 months ago

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Malik Bendjelloul

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Hot favourite for Oscar glory later this month - documentary "Searching for Sugar Man" is proving a hit with critics and audiences alike. It explores the mystery of what happened to the singer Rodriguez, as big as The Beatles in 1970s South Africa, before disappearing seemingly without a trace. Swedish filmmaker Malik Bendjelloul on Saturday was awarded the top prize in documentary directing from the Directors Guild of America. This adds to the accolades it's already won at the Sundance Film festival and the Producers Guild of America Awards. Filmmaker Bendjelloul on accepting the award revealed the mystical Rodriguez was en route to South Africa to perform. (SOUNDBITE) (English) DIRECTOR MALIK BENDJELLOUL, ACCEPTING AWARD, SAYING: "I want to say thank you to Rodriguez, who is the protagonist of this film, who right now is sitting on an airplane, on his way to South Africa, where he is on his way to perform for 50 thousand people." "Searching for Sugar Man" is now the odds-on favorite to take home the best documentary Oscar on February 24.