Allison Precious Emmanuel, writer-director of The Boy Who Gave, has revealed that releasing the film under his production label, The MX14, gave him full creative control over the debut feature.
In an exclusive interview with The Nollywood Reporter on Tuesday, Emmanuel said the project was still a collaborative effort with Grafton Entertainment and Jawtown Entertainment.
“Out of these three companies, my production company was charged with responsibility to deliver the film while others have their own roles. I wrote this film, directed and produced it. I basically stayed with the editors from start to finish, making sure that the film is what it is. So, I have full creative control. My collaborators didn’t at any point tell me who to cast or what direction the story should take or what to use. They completely trusted that I had the ability to deliver the project,” he said.
Emmanuel explained that The Boy Who Gave was chosen as the MX14’s debut project due to the story’s suitability and the modest budget required. “We have scripts that are going to cost us like hundreds of millions to make and for our first production, we wanted to do something solid but with a modest budget,” he said.
He added that the film will showcase the company’s storytelling approach. “It will give the audience a solid perspective and announce what The MX14 is about as a production company. It will also project the kind of stories the production label likes to tell and how audacious they are.” Emmanuel confirmed a May release window but said no exact date has been announced.
Reflecting on his filmmaking journey, Emmanuel noted, “A lot of people who have watched it said it doesn’t feel like a debut project. By the grace of God, I feel like I’ve been preparing for this moment my entire life with my short films. I’ve won a lot of short film competitions from Sony-sponsored competitions to the United Nations and Tecno. Doing my first feature was not like I was doing it for the first time except being longer than anything we’ve ever done.”
Beyond fictional projects, Emmanuel said The MX14 is also exploring other forms of storytelling, including reality TV.
The Boy Who Gave premiered at the 2025 African International Film Festival (AFRIFF), earning three nominations for Best Actor, Best Director, and Best Film. The feature stars Emmanuel alongside Tina Mba and Blossom Chukwujekwu and explores the financial and emotional pressures faced by firstborns in Nigerian families.