In this first episode of Scene Dive, we cover Akay Mason’s journey to earning a name for himself in Nollywood.
Akhigbe Ilozobhie, popularly known as Akay Mason, is a Nollywood writer and director. And he has three directing credits grossing about ₦130 million at the Nigerian box office.
In 2019, he had his directorial debut with Anthill Studio’s Elevator Baby, before directing both Day Of Destiny and Superstar in 2021.
With the largely positive reception his works have enjoyed, Akay Mason is definitely a part of Nollywood’s future. However, his life’s journey to where he is today was a chaotic one.
In order for him to pursue his dreams in filmmaking, he dropped out in his second year of university. He enrolled as a Political Science student at the University of Lagos, Nigeria. As aspected, this decision angered his father and he abandoned him to figure out his life on his own.
Luckily for Akay Mason, his mother saved the day. But she had to sell her cold room to fund his three-year film education in Johannesburg, South Africa.
When he was in film school, he met Niyi Akinmolayan, Nollywood director and CEO of Anthill Studios, on Facebook. And it was Akinmolayan who later mentored him at his studio and gave him his first credit as a director.
Although Akay Mason has now earned a name for himself: with Elevator Baby having an Indian remake, his titles have earned multiple nominations, including “Superstar” at the eighth AMVCA, and his Future Awards Africa nomination; he is still largely influenced by his mentor.
Watch the full video to learn more about how Akhigbe Ilozobhie became “Akay Mason”, his inspiration, the highlights of his career and more.
