Malia Obama, the daughter of former President and First Lady Barack and Michelle Obama, is now an adult who is quietly carving out a separate career for herself – and she has even opted to alter her name.
The 25-year-old just presented her directorial debut, The Heart, at the Sundance Film Festival.
Surprisingly, the film’s credits did not mention her family surname.
Malia Ann Obama was born on July 4, 1998, and her middle name honors her paternal grandmother, who died from ovarian cancer at the age of 52 in 1995. Growing up in the spotlight as the President’s daughter and graduating from Harvard, Malia decided to pursue a career in screenwriting.
Malia assumed the moniker Malia Ann for her most recent production, The Heart, in which she serves as both director and screenwriter. Malia had a gorgeous appearance on the festival’s red carpet earlier this year and loved the premiere of her film.
However, Malia’s filmmaking debut is not her first attempt into the profession. She worked on the writing team for the series Swarm in 2021, which was later aired on Amazon Prime. With renowned cast members including Billie Eilish and Rory Culkin, Swarm had a promising start to her professional career.
“Some of her pitches were crazy as hell, but they were so fantastic and entertaining. Janine Nabers, co-creator of Swarm, told E! Online that Malia is an excellent writer. “She made significant contributions… She’s very, truly committed to her craft.”
Despite her renowned heritage, Swarm executive producer Stephen Glover was careful to point out that Malia was treated equally with the rest of the creative crew.
“We can’t be easy on her just because she’s the [former] President’s daughter,” he told Vanity Fair. “No, she is really down-to-earth and cool. So it’s not an issue at all.”
Barack and Michelle Obama have freely expressed their pleasure in their daughter Malia, sending her with warm birthday messages on her recent 25th birthday.
“Happy birthday to this talented, hilarious, and beautiful young woman,” Barack said on Instagram. “Malia, I hope 25 brings you everything you’re looking for and more.”
Michelle reiterated her husband’s comments, writing, “Happy birthday, Malia! I consider myself extremely fortunate to be your mother and to have had the opportunity to witness your development into the amazing young woman you are. I love you so much! 💕”
From Malia Obama to Malia Ann, from the President’s daughter to a rising Hollywood screenwriter and director, it’s apparent that a bright future awaits!