Allison Precious Emmanuel

Allison Precious Emmanuel is a Nigerian actor, director, screenwriter, and filmmaker. He is best known as the youngest filmmaker to premiere a feature film, The Boy Who Gave, in Nigerian cinemas, and for his portrayal of Ben “Owiwi” in the 2024 Netflix film Hijack ‘93. He is also the youngest triple nominee in the history of the Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF).

Quotes

• I was inspired by watching Mercy Johnson. She was my favourite actress growing up. I liked how she was able to evoke emotion in me through both her comedic and tragic roles, and I wanted to evoke similar emotions in others.
  • [1]
• I’ve been making content since I was 16, before I even knew what the word ‘content creator’ meant. But when my videos started gaining traction, I had to choose between being known as a content creator or as an actor. I’m really good at content creation, but that’s not what I wanted for myself despite all the benefits that came with it.
  • [2]
• I channelled that energy and passion for connecting with audiences into learning the basics of filmmaking, including writing, acting, directing, editing, costuming, sound and set design. When I returned to posting online, I transitioned from making topical content to making short films.
  • [3]
• First of all, God, and calling. From the very first day I picked up my phone to make a short film, I knew I could make a feature film. I just didn’t have the resources to pursue that dream at the time. I am self-taught, and a lot of what I have learnt is because I am aligned with my calling and have the help of the Holy Spirit.
  • [4]
• I also think the years I spent making short films, where I had to work on every part of the film, including writing, directing, editing, sound design, colour grading, post-production, and even costuming, prepared me for the challenge of making a feature. All of my short films, minus one, have won awards in the festivals I have submitted them to. All those individual moments built my confidence in my capacity as a filmmaker.
  • [5]
• I wrote The Boy Who Gave over the span of seven months. It is the longest I have ever written anything, but it took that long because I was unemployed and using that free time to work on it in bits. A scene here, a page there.
  • [6]
• I didn’t even know how I was going to shoot the script once I was done writing, but fortunately for me, partners came on to the project and backed it with funding.
  • [7]