Biyi Bandele, Nigerian director of ‘Half Of A Yellow Sun’ and ‘The King’s Horseman,’ dies at 54

Biyi Bandele, the renowned Nigerian novelist, playwright and filmmaker behind 2013’s “Half of a Yellow Sun” and upcoming film “The King’s Horseman,” has died. He was 54.

Bandele died on Sunday in Lagos, Nigeria, according to a Facebook post from his daughter, Temi Bandele. A cause of death was not given.

“Biyi was a prodigiously talented writer and filmmaker, as well as a loyal friend and beloved father,” Temi writes in the post. “He was a storyteller to his bones, with an unblinking perspective, singular voice and wisdom which spoke boldly through all of his art, in poetry, novels, plays and on screen. He told stories which made a profound impact and inspired many all over the world. His legacy will live on through his work.”

Bandele had recently finished his latest film entitled “The King’s Horseman.” Inspired by Nigerian Nobel Prize-winning writer Wole Soyinka’s anti-colonial play “Death and the King’s Horseman,” the drama is set to have its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival next month. The film, billed as the first Yoruba-language feature film to premiere at TIFF, was produced by Mo Abudu’s EbonyLife Films for Netflix.

Bandele also co-directed this year’s “Blood Sisters” for Netflix. The streamer’s first Nigerian original series follows friends Sarah and Kemi as they are forced to go on the run after a wealthy groom disappears during his engagement party. Netflix paid tribute to Bandele via a Twitter post, saying, “May he rest in power.”

“Biyi Bandele’s passing is a monumental loss to Nigeria’s film and creative industry,” the post reads. “He will be remembered as a powerhouse who made some of the finest films out of Africa.”

Bandele was born in 1967 in the small town in Nigeria called Kafanchan. He studied drama at Obafemi Awolowo University before he left Nigeria at age 22 for London. There, Bandele found a publisher and launched his career as a playwright with the Royal Court Theatre. On top of his extensive work on the stage, the creative also wrote screenplays for radio dramas and television. Eventually, the BBC picked up one of Bandele’s teleplays for its “Screenplay” anthology series and attached Danny Boyle — the future director of “Slumdog Millionaire” and “127 Hours” — to direct.

In 2013, Bandele made his directorial debut with “Half of a Yellow Sun,” an adaptation of the 2006 novel by Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. The film starred Chiwetel Ejiofor, Thandiwe Newton and Anika Noni Rose in a family drama set in 1960s Nigeria.

Bandele also helmed the 2015 romantic drama “Fifty” and several episodes of the African-set MTV series “Shuga.”