Biyi Bandele
In 2022, I interviewed Biyi Bandele, some days after the discharge of Blood Sister, Nigeria’s first Netflix Authentic TV Sequence, which he directed alongside Kenneth Gyang. In a sudden flip of occasions, three months after the interview, Biyi Bandele handed away. It was devastating. Within the last message to me on WhatsApp, he informed me he had simply landed at Heathrow Airport and was going to learn the interview as soon as he bought residence. I don’t know whether or not he bought to learn it. The publication that originally revealed the interview went defunct. Rereading the interview not too long ago, I realised the interview maintains relevance.
As beforehand revealed:
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Biyi Bandele referred to as me a baby, and we each erupted into boisterous laughter that lasted for about thirty seconds. I by no means anticipated our dialog to take that flip, as my ready questions targeted solely on his newly directed film, Blood Sisters, which is regarded Nigeria’s first Netflix Authentic TV Sequence. None of my questions was designed to steer Biyi to ask about my age or name me a baby.
He referred to as me a baby when narrating his expertise of attempting to fulfill Wole Soyinka on the College of Ile-Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo College) throughout his time as a Theatre Arts scholar. After studying in considered one of Wole Soyinka’s poetry collections that he was a lecturer there, he utilized to the college to fulfill him. Sadly, when he arrived, Wole Soyinka had retired 4 years earlier. Nonetheless, he finally met him six months later. When he talked about that Wole Soyinka had made a music album—one thing I had by no means heard of—I requested, “Wole Soyinka made a music album?” He replied, “Sure, sure. Oh, you didn’t know that? How outdated are you?” I informed him I used to be 22, and he exclaimed, “Aah, you’re a baby!” There was a preferred track with the lyrics “For those who marry a taxi driver, I don’t care” by Bobby Benson. Wole Soyinka wrote the lyrics to that track.
At 54 years outdated, Biyi Bandele is writing a guide (now revealed as Yoruba Boy Working). After authoring a few books, together with Burma Boy, his 2007 novel reviewed by Toby Gould as “a wonderful achievement” for The Impartial, and what summarises Biyi was how he described himself over a telephone name from Osogbo to his flat in Lagos when he mentioned “I’ve been writing all my life” and writing is one thing he’ll endlessly do, whether or not as a guide for the world to learn, or as a film for the world to see.
On this interview, Biyi Bandele ran us via getting his function because the director of Blood Sisters, how he began his journey as a director and his prospects for the Nigerian film trade, Nollywood.
I might love this interview to be as interactive as potential, as a result of I do know I might be taught loads from you as an rising author. Are you able to briefly inform me about your journey as a author and as a director?
Basically, I’ve been writing all my life. I had my first brief story revealed in a newspaper in Jos referred to as The Sunday Commonplace as a result of I used to be born in Kafanchan, which was a few thirty-minute drive from Jos. I knew I needed to be a author at a really younger age. However I had no real interest in directing. I knew I might turn out to be a author as a result of there have been mentors. There was Wole Soyinka, there was Chinua Achebe, and all of the writers within the African Writers Sequence whose works I learn. So writing was a risk. I didn’t know any administrators. However I noticed lots of movies. In Kafanchan, we had a cinema which confirmed Bollywood, Hong Kong, and Bruce Lee-type films, which all of us liked. And I didn’t see a play within the theatre till I used to be sixteen or so, once I moved to Lagos. My ancestral house is Abeokuta. I noticed a play on the Nationwide Theatre and I bear in mind being blown away and actually liking it. Then I went to check Theatre at Ife, not as a result of I needed to be a playwright, however as a result of it was solely talked about in blurbs of considered one of Wole Soyinka’s poetry collections that he was a lecturer there. I bought there and came upon he really retired 4 years earlier than I bought there. However I met him lower than six months after that. Then I moved to the UK, and that was once I began getting fascinated with movies. There have been numerous cinemas, video shops in London, after which I wrote a screenplay with Danny Boyle, which he directed, and thru him, I bought fascinated with directing. Then I began my apprenticeship, and for like, I child you not, 10 years, I used to be watching like 4 movies a day. In some unspecified time in the future, I had seen each movie in a glass part–and there have been hundreds of movies, . Via doing that, I realised what sort of storyteller I used to be. I began writing screenplays for different folks, and in some unspecified time in the future, I felt I used to be able to direct. Half of a Yellow Solar (from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Half of a Yellow Solar) was my first characteristic; it took about seven years for that to occur. After which, when it got here out, folks tried to destroy it for a lot of causes and bury it. It sort of nearly broke me; it was brutal. However I continued working. If I hadn’t accomplished that, I undoubtedly wouldn’t have been requested to direct Blood Sisters.
Did you discover a option to stability directing with inventive writing?
I’m nonetheless a author, and I’m really writing a guide proper now. You see, the factor is, I’m Nigerian, and the folks I appeared as much as, whom I didn’t know at the moment however knew via their works, have been additionally like that. Wole Soyinka, once I was a child, you’d hear about him directing a movie, he made a music album, performed the guitar very well, he was an activist and others. I assume in case you are a inventive, it’s best to be capable to do all the pieces.
On that, are you able to inform me how you bought to direct Blood Sisters?
I met Mo Abudu at a celebration for Chiwetel Ejiofor, who starred in Half of a Yellow Solar. I knew of her, however we didn’t actually know one another. She informed me she’s been attempting to get involved with me, and I mentioned, “Actually?” She mentioned she’s seen Half of a Yellow Solar and she or he desires me to get in on one thing. I informed her to ship it to me. I bought again to London, and some weeks later, there was a screenplay referred to as 50. A really lengthy script, about 160 pages if I bear in mind accurately. I noticed the potential in it, however I felt it was too melodramatic within the worst sense of the phrase. I mentioned to Mo, “Can we get another person to rewrite it?” And we bought somebody to rewrite, which simply, merely, didn’t enhance on the script that I had, however it elevated with new issues. I mentioned to Mo, “I’ll rewrite this myself.” So based mostly on the supplies, I wrote a brand new screenplay, which was lower than 50 pages. It was meant to be a characteristic, however then I used to be directing it, and it took us two to 3 days to shoot. So I continued my work on the best, doing different stuff. After which Mo bought in contact in 2020 once I was in New York and requested if I might be fascinated with directing one other venture, not Blood Sisters, which bought pended as a result of Blood Sisters got here alongside as a result of somebody dealing with it pulled out. I didn’t ask why or who the individual was. I feel it was South African, I used to be not even involved about that. Mo Abudu phoned once I was writing a guide in New York on like Friday night time and mentioned she wanted a solution on whether or not I might be fascinated with Blood Sister on Monday. I requested the abstract of the story, and I preferred it. After they despatched me the script, I knew I used to be going to have enjoyable with it. That they had already solid; all the pieces had been accomplished. The one factor left for me was to direct. I gave it my 100 per cent as a result of I had by no means labored on one thing like that. Usually, I might develop, write and do the casting, however I didn’t do any of that. It was a chance to test myself as a director. It labored out very well.
It labored out fairly nicely. Blood Sisters is topping charts in North America and even the USA, and different international locations
It’s really the primary present on Netflix on the earth proper now.
You talked about that they’ve accomplished the casting earlier than you got here in, and I’m imagining that, as a director, was there some extent you felt like a personality didn’t align with a job given to them?
Oh yeah, that’s an excellent query. The primary thrill was that I used to be going to work with these proficient Nollywood actors. After I was launched to that, I informed myself I might make a movie, it doesn’t matter what. Having mentioned that, I’m by no means going to work like that once more. However I didn’t give it some thought an excessive amount of as a result of it was a problem and I needed to get pleasure from myself. As soon as you consider a factor an excessive amount of, concern enters the equation. So if I had thought of it an excessive amount of, I might have been afraid to do it.
That’s true. My query on In Blood Sisters can be: there’s using voicemail, which we don’t have in Nigeria
We do. We really do. I’ve by no means had it, however I do know individuals who have it. However that majority doesn’t have it, doesn’t imply we shouldn’t. We aren’t solely narrating the Nigerian story; we’re additionally creating tales. I imply, once we have been directing, I attempted to say that, , we don’t normally have police rush to against the law scene or have against the law scene factor. We mentioned each component. We had police advisors, they usually confirmed us images. After they wish to do issues the best method in Nigeria, they do, they simply don’t do it more often than not. In VI, I’ve seen police vehicles chasing somebody as we see in Bollywood and American films. I noticed it with my very own eyes simply two weeks in the past.
I additionally suppose that an ideal artwork should not even be precisely excellent
There isn’t any such factor as excellent. You already know, you make decisions about the way you wish to criticise, the way you wish to inform a narrative, .
What do you consider the way forward for Nollywood? What distinction did you discover from the previous to the current? What are the prospects you’ve got for the trade via Blood Sisters?
The trade is now filled with proficient actors like Ramsey Noah, Kate Henshaw and others who’re nearly as good as any actors wherever, of various generations. The enjoyment there for me is simply having the ability to carry these two generations collectively. I feel Nollywood retains evolving, and it’ll proceed to evolve.
This interview has been edited for brevity and readability.
