It must be extremely hard to grow up in the shadow of maybe the most popular president in a century. Not to mention having a former First Lady for a mother who basically set the standard for everyone who follows her.
The fact is, Malia and Sasha Obama are household names, and have been since long before their Portuguese Water Dog, Bo, stepped into the spotlight.
I mean, it’s one thing that Malia was born on the Fourth of July (Freedom Ring!). That alone must have made her feel like a standout even before her dad was president — born in ’98, Malia basically grew up on the internet and pop culture, and having such a basic connection to American history just primes you for a life in the White House.
It looks like she’s ready to step out of that shadow, though. For the premiere of her new short film, Malia has dropped her last name entirely, simply going by her first and middle names, Malia Ann.
Malia’s short film, The Heart, is about the relationship between a mother and her son, and it premiered at Sundance on January 18 of this year.
During the festival’s Meet The Artist spotlight video, she was referenced as “Malia Ann,” foregoing the “Obama” moniker altogether.
Her career is really taking off, too. Not only does she have a baseline as a Harvard grad, but her filmmaking efforts are starting to pay off. She’s interned for HBO’s Girls and even for legendary moviemaker Harvey Weinstein.
She also worked for Donald Glover on his Amazon Original series Swarm. Glover, first known as “Childish Gambino” in his rap career, is now an actor, comedian, singer, rapper, writer, director, and producer — and a big fan of Malia.
“Her writing style is great,” Glover said to Vanity Fair in 2022: “She’s just like, an amazingly talented person. She’s really focused, and she’s working really hard. I feel like she’s just somebody who’s gonna have really good things coming soon.”
Only approximately 100 films are chosen to premiere at Sundance, from a field of around 14,000. That means Malia’s has a little to say on its own merits, regardless of her status as the former president’s daughter.
And in case you didn’t already love her just from the Obama years, here’s how she describes her freshman effort:
“The film is about lost objects and lonely people and forgiveness and regret, but I also think it works hard to uncover where tenderness and closeness can exist in those things.”
Sign me up.