World Documentary Competition
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Protagonist Pictures has sold rights in several foreign territories to the world competition documentary Searching for Sugar Man. The Malik Bendjelloul-directed film had its world premiere opening night of the festival Thursday.
Deals have been closed for Studio Canal to distribute in the U.K. and Madman to release in Australia and New Zealand. Simon Chinn (Man on Wire) produced the project.
Sony Pictures Classics bought North American rights to Sugar Man Friday for somewhere in the mid-six-figure range.
The film follows the strange story of a 1970s-era American musician who never made it out of obscurity only to become a kind of folk hero in South Africa years later when a bootleg copy of his album “Cold Fact” became popular there.
Protagonist CEO Ben Roberts negotiated the deals with Berenice Fugard and Alison Meese of Studio Canal and Paul Wiegard of Madman.
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