Malia Obama, the 25-year-old daughter of former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, is paving her own path. Recently, she made her debut as a director with the film The Heart at the Sundance Film Festival.
Interestingly, Malia chose not to use the family name in the film’s credits, opting instead for her full middle name, Malia Ann. This marks a conscious effort to stand on her own in the entertainment industry.
Born on July 4, 1998, Malia’s middle name honors her paternal grandmother, who passed away from ovarian cancer in 1995. Growing up in the spotlight, Malia graduated from Harvard and decided to pursue a career in screenwriting.
Malia’s latest project, The Heart, saw her step into the role of both director and screenwriter. She was seen walking the red carpet at the premiere earlier this year. But this isn’t her first project in the film world. In 2021, she worked as a writer for the Amazon Prime series Swarm—a promising start to her career.
Malia’s contributions to Swarm were praised by co-creator Janine Nabers, who called her writing “wild” yet “good and funny.” Executive producer Stephen Glover shared that Malia was treated like any other team member, emphasizing that she’s “down to earth” and “cool.”
Her parents, Barack and Michelle Obama, have expressed their pride in Malia’s accomplishments. On her 25th birthday, Barack wrote a loving message on Instagram, calling her “talented, hilarious, and beautiful.” Michelle echoed the sentiment, saying she’s grateful to be Malia’s mom.
Malia Obama is carving out a new journey in filmmaking and showing the world that she’s much more than just her family name.