Searching for Sugar Man wins Oscar

Los Angeles - Searching for Sugar Man, the heartwarming chronicle of a forgotten musician's rediscovery, has won the Academy Award for best documentary.

Directed by the Swedish filmmaker Malik Bendjelloul, Searching for Sugar Man tells the story of the Detroit singer-songwriter Rodriguez who disappeared from public after releasing an album in the early 70s, but developed an unlikely cult following in South Africa.

The other nominees Sunday night were 5 Broken Cameras, The Gatekeepers, How to Survive a Plague and The Invisible War.

While accepting the award presented by Ben Affleck, producer Simon Chinn told the Oscars audience that Rodriguez was not there to accept the award because he did not want to take any of the credit for the film.

"That just about says everything about that man and his story that you want to know," he said - before being unceremoniously played off the stage.

The voting process for the documentary category underwent an overhaul this year intended to limit the nomination of obscure films, and ensure that a larger group of documentary filmmakers winnowed the nominees.

The 85th Academy Awards are airing live from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles with host Seth MacFarlane.

- Channel24