Malia Obama, the eldest daughter of former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, is quietly forging her own path in Hollywood under a different name. At 25, she recently made her directorial debut at the Sundance Film Festival with *The Heart*, where her family’s famous surname was notably absent from the credits.
Born on July 4, 1998, Malia Ann Obama chose to honor her paternal grandmother, who passed away from ovarian cancer in 1995, by using her middle name, “Malia Ann,” as her professional alias. After growing up in the public eye and graduating from Harvard, Malia decided to pursue a career in screenwriting and directing.
For her latest project, *The Heart*, Malia not only wrote the screenplay but also directed the film, appearing on the red carpet at Sundance earlier this year. While this is her first feature film, Malia has already ventured into the world of TV writing. In 2021, she was part of the writing team for the Amazon Prime series *Swarm*, which starred Billie Eilish and Rory Culkin.
The show marked a strong start to her career, and co-creator Janine Nabers praised Malia’s creative contributions, calling her a talented and dedicated writer.
Despite her family’s fame, Malia has earned her place through hard work. Stephen Glover, an executive producer on *Swarm*, noted that she was treated like any other member of the team, adding, “She’s incredibly cool and grounded.”
On her 25th birthday, both Barack and Michelle Obama shared heartfelt messages celebrating their daughter. Barack wrote, “Happy birthday to this talented, hilarious, and beautiful young woman,” while Michelle expressed her pride in watching Malia grow into an incredible young woman.
With her talent and drive, it’s clear that Malia Ann has a bright future ahead in Hollywood as both a writer and director.
