New Documentary About the Late Ol’ Dirty Bastard Nominated for NAACP Award

This is the first nomination for Four Screens, the production and management company behind the film.

Nationwide — The NAACP nominations are out and Four Screens’ documentary Ol’ Dirty Bastard: A Tale of Two Dirtys has been nominated for best director of a documentary. The Black and woman-owned production and management company is known for creating authentic content in the TV, film, and documentary space.

“We are absolutely honored that our film has been nominated for an NAACP award for our co-directors Sam and Jason Pollard,” says Messiah Jacobs, Co-Founder of Four Screens and producer of the documentary. “Our company has always had a mission of bringing culture-based stories to life. This nomination shows that people are paying attention and that we are making a difference in the culture.”

Four Screens represents creative legacy clients who have enriched the culture and the world. The company specializes in all intellectual property matters, from the seed of an idea to the final product.

Ol’ Dirty Bastard: A Tale of Two Dirtys is a provocative and tumultuous, behind-the-scenes look at icon Ol’ Dirty Bastard aka ODB—who altered the world of hip hop forever before his life ended tragically young—as never seen before through the eyes of family, friends and other ground-breaking artists who knew him best, including members of the Wu-Tang Clan and Mariah Carey. The film delves into the socio-political elements that caused Dirty’s rise and fall and how those same factors still affect us today.

This documentary was years in the making, starting with Four Screens’ co-founders Messiah Jacobs and Nicole Beckett becoming the Estate of ODB’s management more than a decade ago.

“As the Estate’s management team, It was our goal to partner with ODB’s wife Icelene Jones and the administrator of the estate of ODB to bring his story to life in an authentic way,” says Jacobs. “With the partnership of Icelene and her foresight to document the early days of ODB’s career, we knew we could make a story that resonates in today’s Culture.”

As producers, Jacobs, Beckett, Icelene, and her son Barsun Jones/YDB set out to create a documentary with the Four Screens’ ethos in mind. Four Screens finds its success in centering stories around underrepresented voices and champions a diverse creative team not just in front of the camera but in every role necessary for a successful production.

“At Four Screens we know that the most engaging stories are told by those who live them,” Beckett says. “Images and representation in the stories we watch matter. If you don’t have diverse talent behind the cameras, you won’t see diverse content done thoughtfully.”

“When we teamed up with our partners at Pulse Films and A&E, we made it clear that the director of this film needed to be someone who had experienced hip hop and The Culture first hand– and was a native of New York,” Jacobs says. “We found a dream team in the Pollards, with Sam Pollard’s decade of experience in filmmaking including MLK/FBI, Mr. Soul! and Sammy Davis Jr: I’ve Gotta Be Me. We couldn’t pass up on his son Jason Pollard for his incredible editing and directing skills and his experience growing up in New York during the nineties and living the golden age of hip-hop firsthand.”

The final NAACP Awards will be announced on February 22. Meanwhile, Four Screens continues on with a slate of other projects including a hip-hop-themed graphic novel ODB: A Lyrical Ruckus in the City. Their first book signing will be at Book Soup in Hollywood on January 27 at 7pm with creators and writers Messiah Jacobs, Nicole Beckett, Jaxson Beckett-Williams, Jason Pierre, and Chris Robinson. The novel is available now at Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and local bookstores through Simon & Schuster.

Created in partnership with Oni Press and Four Screens and officially authorized by the Ol’ Dirty Bastard estate, this taunt and turbulent graphic novel features contributions from an epic cast every bit as sprawling as the city within: Troy-Jeffrey Allen (Chuck D’s Apocalypse 91: Revolution Never Sleeps), Paris Alleyne (Miles Morales: Spider-Man), David Brame (MediSIN), Dojo Gubser (Rot8ion), Jay Hero (Green Lantern), Maan House (Bloodborne), Mike Del Mundo (Avengers), Jason Pierre (CW’s In the Dark), Ike Reed & David Gorden (Rampage Jackson’s Big Brawl), Chris Robinson (Vince Staples’ Limbo Beach), Regine Sawyer (Dark Nights: Death Metal—The Last 52), Damion Scott (Batgirl), Felipe Sobreiro (“Weird Al” Yankovic’s The Illustrated Al), Ron Wimberly (Prince of Cats), and more.

For press inquiries, contact Four Screens/Nicole Beckett at nicole@4sproduction.com or 323-804-4550.