Malia Obama‘s recent Nike ad with WNBA star A’ja Wilson’ received high praise for redefining sneaker culture in a fresh way. Now, the eldest daughter of Barack and Michelle Obama is accused of copying an independent filmmaker’s work.
Natalie Jasmine Harris made the claims in a Business Insider as-told-to essay on May 16. Harris created a 14-minute short film, Grace, about a “Black Southern Gothic short about a girl who’s being baptized and questioning her feelings for her best friend.” The filmmaker had crossed paths with Malia at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival where they each had films in competition.
Harris was stunned to see how many similarities there were between her short film and Malia’s Nike ad, so she had a friend “put together a shot-by-shot photo comparison.” It isn’t necessarily the action happening on film that Harris takes issue with, it’s the “cinematic tools used to depict it.” Devices like “camera angles to the shots to the framing composition and the color palette” are what Harris alleges Malia took inspiration from.
Despite some early success after graduating from New. York University in 2020, the indie director feels frustrated by the entertainment industry. Harris says there is the “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?”
Harris received mixed reviews from social media users about her accusations after sharing the shot-by-shot comparisons on her X account on May 5. “This is obviously the worst feeling so I’m hoping you feel supported in standing up for your work,” one supporter wrote.
Another account landed somewhere in the middle, noting, “I watched your film, and it was amazing, but respectfully, one could say that certain scenes of your film were eerily similar to scenes from The Color Purple or Daughters of the Dust. My point is don’t give air to a victim mindset. Your amazing work speaks for itself.”
One social media user didn’t see any similarities at all. “That scene is literally 15 seconds of your 13-minute short. How did she steal a scene when we have been patty cake for 100 years,” they wrote. “Nothing in that commercial is similar to your short.”
Harris has not had any interaction with Malia or Nike since she spoke out, but she “would like for there to be some acknowledgment” in the end.
Before you go, click here to see the best photos of Malia Obama.
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