Malia Obama, daughter of former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, recently showcased her directorial debut, “The Heart,” at the Sundance Film Festival, choosing to be credited as Malia Ann.

Malia Ann Obama was born on July 4, 1998, with her middle name honoring Barack’s mother, who passed away in 1995 from ovarian cancer at the age of 52. After growing up as the president’s daughter and graduating from Harvard, Malia decided to pursue a career as a screenwriter.

In her latest film, “The Heart,” where Malia is credited as director and screenwriter, she chose to go by her stage name, Malia Ann. She made an appearance on the red carpet at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival earlier this month for the premiere of the movie.

Malia’s journey into the film industry began with her role in the writing team for the series “Swarm,” which premiered on Amazon Prime in 2021. With Billie Eilish and Rory Culkin among the cast,”Swarm” marked a promising start to her career.

“She’s an incredible writer,” said co-creator of the “Swarm,” Janine Nabers, about Malia. “She brought a lot to the table… She’s really, really dedicated to her craft.

Despite her famous family, one of the executive producers of “Swarm,” Stephen Glover, insisted that they treated Malia just like any other member of the creative team.

“We can’t be easy on her just because she’s the [former] President’s daughter,” he stated. “Nah, she’s very down to earth, and cool. So, it’s not a problem at all.”