Nigerian Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka’s memoir The Man Died is heading to the big screen this July. Watch the trailer below!

Soyinka’s memoir contains a record of his time in prison during the Nigerian Civil War in the late 1960s. Soyinka was arrested at the beginning of the Nigerian Civil War in 1967 for his outspoken criticism of the government’s actions at the time. The Nigerian Government never formally charged him, nor did they bring him to trial. Instead, they imprisoned him for 27 months, the major part of it in solitary confinement in a 4 x 8 foot cell.

From 1967 to 1969, Soyinka was held as a political prisoner and The Man Died is the memoir he wrote about those months, published in 1972. Starring Wale Ojo as Wole Soyinka, the biopic premiering this July will explore themes of survival, perseverance and resilience.

BellaNaija broke the news about the upcoming feature film and revealed that the film will be directed by Awam Amkpa, starring Wale Ojo, Sam Dede, Nobert Young, Chidi Mokeme, Segilola Ogida and Simileoluwa Hassan. Written by Bode Asiyanbi and produced by Femi Odugbemi, the film will premiere in July, coinciding with Soyinka’s 90th birthday.

Watch the trailer below.

Stay tuned for more details.