(VIDEO): MKO documentary trailer chronicles June 12 crisis, Abiola’s final years

A teaser for MKO, an international feature documentary examining Nigeria’s annulled 12 June 1993 presidential election and the death of the presumed winner, MKO Abiola, has begun gaining attention online as the filmmakers prepare to take the project to film festivals.

The film revisits the political crisis triggered by the annulment of the election, the international campaign that followed and Mr Abiola’s eventual death, a sequence of events that remains central to Nigeria’s modern political history.

Directed by Nigerian-American filmmaker Ose Oyamendan, the documentary is produced by a team including three-time Academy Award–winning documentary filmmaker Mark Jonathan Harris and producer Veronique Bernard.

The producers said the trailer represents the first time audiences are getting a public preview of the project after years of work behind the scenes.

A long time coming

“It’s been a long time coming,” Mr Oyamendan said. “This is an extraordinary story, and we’re excited to begin sharing it with the world finally.”

Ms Bernard said the decision to release the teaser ahead of the festival circuit was deliberate, describing it as a way of reintroducing the project to audiences before its planned screenings.

“This is just the first step. We’re preparing to launch a festival run that we hope will lead to theatrical and streaming distribution. Releasing the trailer now felt like the right way to reintroduce the project and offer a taste of what’s to come,” she said.

The filmmakers said the documentary draws on rare archival footage and first-hand testimonies to revisit one of Africa’s most consequential democratic struggles.

The feature documentary, which has been in production for several years, is expected to premiere later this year.

Watch the trailer here