Oscar-Winning Director Killed Himself, Says Brother

'Searching for Sugar Man' filmmaker reportedly suffered from depression
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted May 14, 2014 7:06 AM CDT
Updated May 14, 2014 7:40 AM CDT
Oscar-Winning Director Killed Himself, Says Brother
A Dec. 18, 2012 photo from files showing Swedish Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker Malik Bendjelloul.   (Anders Wiklund)

The sudden death of acclaimed director Malik Bendjelloul may be a case of suicide. Bendjelloul's brother has told a Swedish newspaper that the 36-year-old killed himself, explaining that he had struggled with depression for a short period of time. Bendjelloul was found dead in Stockholm yesterday. The filmmaker rose to international fame in 2013 when his debut feature film, Searching for Sugar Man, won an Oscar for best documentary. The film tells the story of how Detroit-based singer-songwriter Sixto Rodriguez, who had flopped in the United States, became a superstar in apartheid-era South Africa without knowing about it. (More Malik Bendjelloul stories.)

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