Except a miracle happens, the home video adaptation of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Half of a Yellow Sun may never go on home video. Surprisingly, this is because some people at the Nigerian Film and Video Censors Board are not comfortable with the theme – Nigeria/Biafra civil war. Already, they’ve begun placing stumbling blocks on the movie’s path. And coming up with all sorts of incredulous reasons why it should not go on home video.
Perplexed and astonished, the producer, Yewande Sadiku, has been reaching out to some connected and concerned individuals to help talk to NFVCB DG, Mrs. Patricia Bala, to get off her back and let the movie be. YES INTERNATIONAL! stumbled on her cry-for-help letter to one of these people, which we are reproducing below: “Good morning … I hope that you are well. Please, we need your help with dealing an issue that we’ve been managing with the Nigerian Film and Video Censors Board for over a week now. It is now clear to us that they have reservations about allowing Half of a Yellow Sun to be released to the public in Nigeria, as they have delayed the film’s certification. Consequently, the film’s public release which was planned for today has been postponed to next week. I understand that the DG of the NFVCB, in particular, feels that the film may be too “political” and remind people about the civil war… As you have seen the film yourself, you would have noted that in reality, the film is about the relationships between the 4 principal characters against the backdrop of the civil war. It is a story of love, forgiveness, betrayal and redemption. The film continues to be well received all over the world and is eagerly awaited in Nigeria. We have achieved distribution of the film in the UK, US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Portugal, Middle East and the Airlines. It was released in the UK 2 weeks ago and has been doing well in the cinemas; it is scheduled for public release in the US from May 16. It is the first Nigerian film to have achieved wide distribution in many countries. As you are aware, the film was invited to officially screen at the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival, the London Film Festival, and several other international film festivals. We’ve even been invited to screen it at the UN in Geneva on the 28th to “remind diplomats of the importance of the film industry on a global scale”. The screening is aimed at UN ambassadors in Geneva, as well as their staff and the senior management of the UN’s World Intellectual Property Organisation. Film One, our Nigerian distributor is working with the team at the NFVCB to get them to rate the film and authorise the public release in Nigeria, but I understand the DG herself has strong reservations and I wondered if you can help reach out to her. We believe not allowing the legal public release of the film in Nigeria will send very negative signals about the prospects of investing in the film industry for projects on this scale. It will also jeopardise the investments of all our investors, including the Bank of Industry. Without appropriate funding, Nollywood filmmakers will not be able to elevate their craft. Given the keen public anticipation of Half of a Yellow Sun, we also believe that not allowing the film legally will only allow illegal operators to release their version to meet the public demand. We will really appreciate your intervention. Yewande Sadiku”.