Malik Bendjelloul’s 'Searching For Sugar Man' to Open Sheffield Doc/Fest

4:23 AM PDT 4/4/2012 by Stuart Kemp

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Project originally pitched during U.K. festival’s MeetMarket event for producers and filmmakers.

LONDON – Malik Bendjelloul’s Searching For Sugar Man, which unspooled during the Sudance Film Festival, will open with this year’s Sheffield Doc/Fest, organizers.

Searching for Sugar Man: Sundance Film Review

The U.S.-U.K.-Sweden co-production will make its European bow in Sheffield at an event which saw it first pitched there as an idea during the festival’s MeetMarket event back in 2008 at the documentary film festival.

The doc details the story of the Mexican-American singer-songwriter Rodriguez who dropped off the radar completely having once been hailed as one of the world’s great artists. He was subsequently re-discovered by South African fans.

Rodriguez and director Bendjelloul are expected to be on hand to attend the opening night shindig.

The film is produced by Simon Chinn and Bendjelloul and executive produced by John Battsek.

StudioCanal will release the movie in the U.K. in August.

Sheffield Doc/Fest film programmer Hussain Currimbhoy said: “As a MeetMarket success story and made by a young filmmaker, we could not be prouder to set the tone for Doc/Fest with Malik’s inspirational film.”

The full Doc/Fest lineup is expected May 10.