Malia Obama's directorial debut has landed her in hot water. The former first daughter's Nike commercial, released in early May 2025, is accused of mimicking a lesser-known filmmaker’s work. It’s a classic case of big names overshadowing small talent.
The Daily Caller reported that Natalie Jasmine Harris, a 27-year-old independent filmmaker, claims Obama’s ad copies her 2024 short film, Grace. Both projects crossed paths at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, where Obama and Harris met. Harris says the similarities are too striking to ignore.
Harris’s Grace, shot by cinematographer Tehillah de Castro, premiered at Sundance in 2023. Obama also debuted a project there, marking her red-carpet entry into filmmaking. The shared festival stage now feels like a prelude to this controversy.
Harris points to identical camera angles, shot compositions, and a nearly matching color palette between Grace and the Nike ad.
She calls out a specific scene of two young Black girls playing Pat-A-Cake, claiming it mirrors a deeply personal moment from her film. Sounds like more than a coincidence.
“It’s not about the game. It’s about the cinematic tools used to depict it,” Harris told Business Insider. Her technical breakdown suggests Obama’s team didn’t just borrow inspiration—they photocopied it. Yet, art’s murky lines make plagiarism tough to pin down.
On May 6, 2025, Harris took to X, posting a side-by-side comparison of the scenes. “It’s devastating,” she wrote.
The post sparked debate, with some cheering her boldness and others shrugging it off as industry noise.
Harris argues this isn’t just about one ad—it’s about brands chasing clout over creativity. “Brands opt for folks with name recognition, which doesn’t breed innovative films,” she said on X. Her point stings: Why hire a star when the original talent’s right there?
Obama, for her part, has stayed silent. In 2023, she ditched her last name professionally to dodge “nepo baby” labels. That move now feels ironic, as her high-profile status fuels this very dispute.
The Nike ad, sleek and polished, screams big-budget branding. Grace, by contrast, is a labor of love from an emerging artist scraping by. The gap between their resources makes Harris’s accusations hit harder.
“Moments like this hit hard when you’ve poured your heart into telling stories,” Harris posted on X. Her words carry the weight of an artist fighting for scraps in a star-driven industry. It’s tough not to feel for her.
The Pat-A-Cake scene, Harris says, was a deeply personal touchstone in Grace. Seeing it echoed in a corporate ad feels like theft, even if the law might disagree. Creative ownership is a gray area, but emotions run black-and-white.
Obama’s team hasn’t responded publicly, leaving the story one-sided for now. If Harris’s claims hold water, it’s a bad look for a director aiming to carve her own path. Actions, as they say, have consequences.
Harris sees a bigger issue: brands sidelining independent voices for marquee names. Her call to “hire from the source” challenges Nike’s choice to bank on Obama’s fame. It’s a fair jab at an industry obsessed with pedigree.
The 2023 Sundance encounter adds a layer of intrigue. Did Obama, inspired by Grace, cross a line into imitation? Without her side, we’re left guessing—but Harris’s evidence is compelling.