|
Stockholm police declined to provide any further details
about Bendjelloul's death.
"What I can say is that there are no suspicions any crime was
involved," Stockholm police duty officer Pia Glenvik said.
Bendjelloul won an Oscar in 2013 as a first-time filmmaker for
"Searching for Sugar Man." The film followed two South African
journalists who set out to find what had become of Sixto
Rodriguez, an American singer who was popular in South Africa
who seemingly vanished without a trace.
The film, structured like a mystery, sought to find Rodriguez
who never achieved fame in his home country but had become a
popular and influential folk icon unbeknownst to him in South
Africa.
"We are so sad to hear of Malik Bendjelloul's passing," Sony
Pictures Classics, the distributor of "Searching for Sugar Man,"
said in a statement.
"Much like Rodriguez himself, Malik was a genuine person who
chased the world for stories to tell," the distributor added.
"He didn't chase fame, fortune or awards, although those
accolades still found him as many others recognized his
storytelling."
"Searching for Sugar Man" swept major awards from the U.S.
directors, producers and writers guilds, and also won audience
and special jury awards at the Sundance Film Festival.
Bendjelloul was born in the town of Ystad in southern Sweden
about 34 miles (55 kilometers) east of Malmo, according to film
database IMDB.com.
He had also directed television documentaries about singers
Elton John, Rod Stewart, Bjork and German electronic music
pioneers Kraftwerk, according to the Swedish Film Institute.
(Reporting by Niklas Pollard; Writing by Eric Kelsey in Los
Angeles; Editing by Piya Sinha-Roy, Grant McCool and Richard
Chang)
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
|
|
