Malia Obama, the eldest daughter of former US President Barack Obama, showcased her directorial debut at the Sundance Film Festival, while seemingly opting to use a stage name to distance herself from her father.
In the 18-minute short film ‘The Heart’, Malia is credited with writing and directing under the name Malia Ann, conspicuously omitting her well-known surname.
According to the film’s description, it tells the story of a lonely man grieving the death of his mother “after an argument about groceries and an odd request in her will”.
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After his presidency, Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama established Higher Ground Productions, which has since achieved acclaim with an Academy Award in 2020 for the ‘American Factory’ documentary.
According to Vanity Fair, Donald Glover’s production company, Gilga, helped produce ‘The Heart’.
Glover, who mentored Malia Obama, told GQ last April that he’d said to her: “You’re Obama’s daughter. So if you make a bad film, it will follow you around.”
Malia Obama has, in fact, been working in the industry since graduating from Harvard. She previously worked as a staff writer on Glover’s Amazon Prime series ‘Swarm’ and as a production assistant on Halle Berry’s ‘Extant’ series.
The reception on the film-review websites has been less than complimentary of the 25-year-old’s efforts with so many critics attributing her growth in the industry to the popularity of her parents and not her creativity.
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