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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,...

Netflix historical drama “Elesin Oba, The King’s Horseman,” will become the first Yoruba-language film to premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Produced by Mo Abudu’s EbonyLife Films and Netflix, the film — which will play in the Special Presentations section — is based on real-life events in Nigeria in 1943, and set in the Oyo Empire, in which the King’s horseman, Elesin Oba, must commit ritual suicide to follow his deceased king into the afterlife.

However, his best intentions are derailed by his sexual desires, which leads to catastrophic consequences and ends in a deadly clash with the British rulers of the day. The horseman is unable to fulfil his ultimate commitment to the king, leaving his spirit to roam the earth, spelling doom for the land and its people.

The film is based on the stage play “Death and the King’s Horseman,” which was written by Wole Soyinka,...