Malik Bendjelloul | |
|---|---|
 Bendjelloul at the 2012Deauville American Film Festival | |
| Born | (1977-09-14)14 September 1977 |
| Died | 13 May 2014(2014-05-13) (aged 36) |
| Occupation(s) | Film director, actor, screenwriter, journalist |
| Years active | 1990–2014 |
| Known for | Searching for Sugar Man (2012) |
Malik Bendjelloul (14 September 1977 – 13 May 2014) was a Swedish documentary filmmaker, journalist and actor.[2][3] He directed the 2012 documentarySearching for Sugar Man, which won anAcademy Award and aBAFTA Award.[4][5]
Bendjelloul was born inYstad in Sweden, 55 kilometres (34 mi) east ofMalmö, the son of Algerian-born physician Hacène Bendjelloul and Swedish translator and painterVeronica Schildt Bendjelloul.[2] He was the brother of journalistJohar Bendjelloul[6] and the nephew of actorsPeter andJohan Schildt.[7][8] Bendjelloul grew up in central and southern Sweden (Ängelholm)[9] and during the 1990s acted in theSVT TV seriesEbba och Didrik as Philip Clavelle.[6][10] The episodes were directed by his uncle, Peter Schildt.[7] Bendjelloul was educated at the Rönne Gymnasium in Ängelholm, where he entered the social science programme. He graduated in 1996.[7] He then attendedKalmar University, where he studied journalism and media production.[10][11]
Bendjelloul started his television career as a reporter on Swedish public television (SVT), where he worked as afreelancer and journalist forKobra. Prior to working for SVT, he also worked for an independent production company,Barracuda Film & TV.[7][12] Subsequently, he left the job to direct documentaries on musicians includingElton John,Rod Stewart,Björk andKraftwerk.[10]
Bendjelloul's documentarySearching for Sugar Man won the2013 Academy Award forBest Documentary Feature.[13][14] Bendjelloul also won the 2013BAFTA Award,Directors Guild of America,Producers Guild of America,Writers Guild of America,American Cinema Editors, theSundance audience and special jury accolades[15] and the 2012International Documentary Association awards. Eventually, the documentary achieved commercial success as well and made $3.6 million (£2.7 million) at the box office. The film documents the revival ofSixto Rodriguez's musical career.[10]
In 2013, Bendjelloul was invited to host a show on the Swedish radio showSommar i P1, where he told the listeners about the process behindSearching for Sugar Man.[6]
At rush hour on 13 May 2014, Malik Bendjellouldied by suicide when he jumped in front of an oncoming train at theSolna centrum metro station in Stockholm[16] after struggling withdepression, as reported by his brother Johar.[17][18] At the time of his death, he was working on a film project based onLawrence Anthony's bookThe Elephant Whisperer.[19]
