Funmi Iyanda Talks About Half of a Yellow Sun

 

Showbiz big girl and top TV lady, Funmi Iyanda has few things to say about the film entitled, Half of a Yellow Sun. She started by say, "I want to talk about half of a yellow sun. You may think me biased because the writer and producers are my friends. I admit 2 bias." 1. D truth is that what is @ stake is more than the merit or demerits of film making. We have interest but no market 4 our creative efforts. 2. So raising funding is difficult because investors won't make the money back. Nollywood works because the cost of production is low., 3. As soon as you ramp up the budget to achieve higher production and creative values . You unsettle the back end. 4. The solution is tied to our larger issues of infrastructure, capacity etc. that is an ongoing challenge in the meantime, u have 2 options. 5. Keep it Nollywood or try go global. The latter is challenging for many reasons. Certain things don't translate as well culturally.. 6. Everyone actually prefers to see versions of themselves in creative material. There is only a small niche for the "other". It is alchemy. 7. So to get a shot at it you try something that already has mainstream global appeal.,ie a book, the cast, possibly the point of view. 8. Even then you'll have 2 find d funding yourself as d big boys won't understandably gamble with a story so off d formulae esp in recession. 9. With a story like HOAYS, the scale is epic, as life action or even CGI, you'd need tens of millions..dollars or make it TV series. 10. We have no TV industry so you shoot for the movie anyways. Which is what the producers must have done. Note , I have never asked them. 11. Now the budget ($10million) could have gone into a smaller (in scale) story but what story that will have the possible global appeal? 12. So you try fit an elephant into a monkey cage (shot analogy l know:)) and wave charmingly. 13. If we fix the infrastructure and capacity, we won't need external market cue Bollywood, Chinese, Korean and Japanese film industry. 14. Now, the film is in release to mixed reviews but It's is not just a film, it is an act if bravery in a country in need of heroes. 15. I am asking that we go and see it not only as a standing ovation to hope but cos it is ours n by god it something ours that's not shit. 16. This Saturday, let's go fill a cinema with out friends and family to see HOAYS. I will gather all my peeps here in London n have a ball. 17. So who's coming with me 2,see HOAYS on Saturday? Dress fabulous, we r never knowingly under dressed. Oya, let's go der! End of sermon http://adf.ly/kBgnB :