Synopsis

Sixto Rodriguez was one of the most unique icons of 1970s American Folk Rock, but he was never respected as much. He slipped away leaving only two studio albums which were highly complemented by critics yet not well sold. Despite the tragic rumor about his miserable and unnoticed death, his music eventually drifted to South Africa and made an astonishing success selling over half a million copies. Having been depressed under racial separation policy, the public has reacted to the antiestablishment message in his music. 20 years after his albums were released, a South African music critic and a second-hand record retailer tried to search for the trace of this mysterious musician and find out that he in fact is alive in Detroit, USA. One day, the retailer receives a phone call from the States and recognizes the caller’s voice right away. It was Rodriguez, whose voice he has listened to hundreds or even thousands of times through his songs. Now that South African fans still remember him, the mystic but long forgotten singer sets off a journey to meet them. Although Rodriguez was one of the most mysterious singers in pop history, the cold fact is that he was never respected as much he deserved except in South Africa. With fully authentic voice and greatly echoic lines, his music had a great influence on a number of South African musicians and fans. This film shows the journey of two men in search of a singer who fascinated them the most with music. The director Malik Bendjelloul, who is almost as knowledgeable as a music expert, made a touching story into a film full of his affection to Rodriguez. It is rather unbelievable that such charming music and a great singer have been left unnoticed. This fairytale-like story will bring us an unforgettable sensation with appealing music scores composed by Rodriguez. If you have had a chance to climb up on his music, I bet you’d like to admit it. ​

The director

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  • Malik Benzellul
  • Born in Sweden in 1977, Malik Benzelul has made short documentaries for famous musicians such as Vujok, Kraftberg, Sting, Elton John, Madonna, and U2 over the past 12 years. His first feature documentary, "Searching for Sugar Man," received great response as it was screened as an opening film at various film festivals such as Sundance and Jecheon International Music Film Festival. Unfortunately, on May 13th, 2014, the world