Chimamanda’s deliberate attention to history and emotionality made some of her work a perfect fit for the screen. The adaptation of her second novel, ‘Half of a Yellow Sun’ stood out as a historical film of pure emotion and exceptional acting from world-class actors and actresses.
Half of a Yellow Sun
After the publication of ‘Half of a Yellow Sun’ in 2006, a theatrical version of Chimamanda’s second novel was in production, and in 2013, the film was released in theaters all across Nigeria and the UK. Directed by Biyi Bandele, the film adaptation of Chimamanda’s novel was a success as the film captured the important essence of the entire story.
For the film plot, there was a near-identical replication of the novel for the screen. However, key details omitted by the film include the part of Ugwu’s experience as a soldier for the Biafran army. Though it would have made the film extra lengthy, the omitting of crucial aspects of Chimamanda’s novel diluted the essence of key aspects of each character’s story. However, the film never failed to include actual footage of historical key points mentioned in the story; this added an overwhelming sense of authenticity to the theatrical version of the story.
‘Half of a Yellow Sun’ employed the best of actors from star Nigerian actress Genevieve Nnaji to Hollywood stars like Chiwetel Ejiofor, star actor in the hit films ‘2012,’ ’12 Years a Slave,’ and ‘Infinite,’ John Boyega, star actor in ‘Pacific Rim,‘ ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens,’ and ‘Naked Singularity,’ Thandiwe Newton, star actress in ‘Mission: Impossible 2’ and ‘The Pursuit of Happiness,’ and Anika Noni Rose, Star actress in ‘The Princess and the Frog’ and ‘Ralph Breaks the Internet.’
The production of the film lasted five weeks and was shot in three locations, Tinapa studios, Calabar, and Creek Town. With the major hassle for production being malaria and Typhoid, production was slowed due to several crew members falling sick, including Thandiwe Newton.
The film did not live up to expectations as only about 2.1 million dollars was made from the box office out of an 8 million dollars budget set for production. Running for 111 minutes, the film was first unveiled at the Toronto International Film Festival, TIFF, before it was released in cinemas across the UK and Nigeria.
On release, ‘Half of a Yellow Sun’ got mixed reviews by critics, who explained the movie excluded crucial details in the novel. Ranking 51% on both Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic and 6.1 out of 10 on IMDb, the main issue with the film was blandness and lack of character depth.
On Monday Last Week
‘On Monday of Last Week’ is a 14 minutes video starring Karyn Parsons, Chinasa Ogbuagu, Peter Rini, Jill Shackner, and Farouk James Prempeh. The short video follows the story of Kamara, a Nigerian woman working as a nanny for Josh, the 5-year-old son of Neil and Tracy, an interracial couple. Tracy’s work as an artist makes her rarely leave her basement and when she finally does, Kamara becomes curious, her encounter with Tracy becomes a source of inspiration to her.
FAQs
Who is Chimamanda Adichie married to?
Chimamanda got married in 2009 to Ivara Esege.
What kind of stories did Adichie read and write as a child.
As a child, Chimamanda stated that she read and wrote stories about children playing in the snow and eating apples with her mother as her audience.
What does Chimamanda mean by the single story?
Chimamanda explained that she used the ‘single story’ phrase to describe the overly simplistic and false perception of many people about an individual or a country.
What message does Chimamanda Adichie communicate to her audience?
Chimamanda uses a rhetorically inclined approach to deliver speeches of enlightenment and empowerment to her audience.
What is Chimamanda’s best quote?
We teach girls to shrink themselves, to make themselves smaller. We say to girls: ‘You can have ambition, but not too much. You should aim to be successful, but not too successful. Otherwise, you will threaten the man.’ Because I am female, I am expected to aspire to marriage. I am expected to make my life choices, always keeping in mind that marriage is the most important. Now, marriage can be a source of joy and love and mutual support, but why do we teach girls to aspire to marriage and we don’t teach boys the same?
