Following Malia Obama‘s short film debut at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, the budding filmmaker is accused of lifting heavy inspiration from a fellow director.
Natalie Jasmine Harris, whose short Grace competed alongside Obama’s The Heart at last year’s festival, said she saw “a lot of similarities” between her title and the former first daughter’s recent Nike ad starring WNBA’s A’ja Wilson.
“At first, I was confused, wondering whether it was real,” wrote Harris in a Business Insider essay about her reaction to discovering the commercial. “It featured two people playing pat-a-cake in a way that echoed an early scene from my 14-minute short film Grace, which is a Black Southern Gothic short about a girl who’s being baptized and questioning her feelings for her best friend.”
Deadline has reached out to reps for Obama and Nike for comment.
Harris noted she met Obama (who uses the professional credit Malia Ann) “at the director’s brunch and a couple other events” when their shorts were both in competition.
“Initially, I was disappointed and hurt — not just for myself but for my entire team,” she continued. “I sent the commercial to friends who had the same reaction I did. One put together a shot-by-shot photo comparison.
“Since posting about the issue online, there have been a lot of people who don’t understand my disappointment. They’re like, ‘You didn’t invent pat-a-cake.’ And that’s very true. But it’s not about the game, it’s about the cinematic tools used to depict it,” explained Harris.
The NYU-educated director noted similar camera angles, framing composition and color palettes between Grace and the Nike ad.
“Over time, I’ve moved through that initial shock into a deeper frustration around how instances like this are very common — and need to change,” wrote Harris. “It speaks to a larger issue of brands not supporting independent artists and opting for folks who already have name recognition, which doesn’t breed innovative films or original storytelling. If they wanted these shots that were similar to my shots, why not hire me to direct?”
She added, “The route that used to work for the Spike Lees and Steven Spielbergs of the world feels less viable today. If we’re continuously overlooked, how is the next generation of filmmakers going to exist?”
Harris said she’s yet to hear from Obama or Nike, “but I would like for there to be some acknowledgment,” adding: “I was initially hesitant to speak out, since it involves a former president’s daughter and a beloved brand like Nike. Criticizing something involving the WNBA was also hard because it means a lot to me personally, and it already gets such a lack of a spotlight. But I’ve poured too much into my work to just sit by and watch.”
