The Story⚡
Akay Mason is stepping beyond directing-for-hire to build stories with full ownership and care through his new company, Element24Media, starting with the mystery project Five Figurines, which he directs and co-produces alongside producer Becca Ashang.
Tell Me More
Akay Mason explains that Element24Media was created from a clear desire to engage with storytelling from the initial idea all the way to release. Rather than functioning mainly as a director brought in to execute someone else’s vision, he wants to participate intentionally in every stage. This approach centers on stewardship, taking responsibility for the project’s direction and quality, while still aiming for commercial success. The goal is a space where films can be viable at the box office yet remain bold, emotionally honest, and artistically ambitious.
Five Figurines serves as the first major statement from the company. Mason describes it as ambitious and atmospheric, driven by characters and built around mystery and tension that invites viewers into a deeper experience. He has long believed that audiences deserve work that respects their intelligence, entertainment that is thrilling and accessible while offering layers to engage with.
The film brings together established actors such as Bimbo Akintola, Odunlade Adekola, Ini Edo, Uche Montana, Wumi Toriola, and others alongside fresh talent. Mason highlights the value in that mix: the exchange between seasoned experience and new energy creates something distinctive on screen. Co-produced by Becca Ashang, the project also features cross-border production elements. For Mason, this matters because African stories need to move past limited thinking about scale, reach, and how they are made. He wants Element24Media to represent premium African storytelling, authentic in its roots but global in its ambition, and sees Five Figurines as a direct example.
Asked about patterns in his work, Mason notes that filmmakers sometimes recognize their own themes only in retrospect. Across his projects, he returns to ordinary people facing extraordinary circumstances, whether through time travel, psychological pressure, emotional upheaval, or morally complex relationships. He is drawn to genre forms, thrillers, mysteries, comedy, and high-concept drama, but grounds them in believable human behavior and emotional truth.
Visually and stylistically, he focuses on mood, atmosphere, performance, tension, pacing, silence, and visual rhythm, what he calls the emotional architecture of a scene. If there is a signature, it is cinematic entertainment that offers both emotional intelligence and satisfying escapism: stories that engage viewers in the moment, move them, and remain with them after the film ends.
In Summary
Five Figurines, now in production, marks his first feature as both director and producer under Element24Media. The project pairs a notable ensemble cast with a mystery-driven approach in what appears to be a significant step toward more intentional, boundary-pushing African cinema.
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