Malia Obama has been making a name for herself in the film industry, and recently made her directorial debut at the Sundance Film Festival. The 25-year-old former first daughter walked the red carpet for the first time on Jan. 17, 2024 in Park City, Utah to share her debut short film The Heart, which she both wrote and directed. She is credited as her first and middle names, Malia Ann, in the film. And with all the buzz surrounding this career accomplishment, you might be wondering if you can currently stream The Heart anywhere.
Obama has been passionate about television and film for years. She was a production assistant on Extant in 2014 and also worked on the set of Girls in 2015. Most notably, she worked as a writer on Donald Glover’s limited series Swarm after graduating from Harvard University in 2021. In 2022, Glover told Vanity Fair about Obama, “She’s just like, an amazingly talented person. She’s really focused, and she’s working really hard.” Glover’s co-creator Janine Nabers additionally shared, “She’s a very professional person. She’s an incredible writer and artist.”
Unfortunately, The Heart is not yet available to watch online, so for now, you’ll have to stick to reading reviews. Before being brought to the Sundance Film Festival, The Heart was originally released in October 2023. The film was screened at Telluride and the Chicago International Film Festival, where it was recognized in the “best live action short” category, which just makes me want to see it even more.
Obama walked the red carpet in Utah to debut her film for Sundance, wearing a gray maxi coat and matching scarf over a white button-down shirt, black jeans, and brown boots. She talked about her film in a Sundance video series called “Meet the Artist.” “It’s an odd little story, somewhat of a fable, about a man grieving the death of his mother after she leaves him an unusual request in her will,” she says about The Heart. “The film is about lost objects and lonely people, forgiveness and regret. But I also think it works hard to uncover where tenderness and closeness can exist in these things.”
Obama expressed her gratitude to the people who helped make her film, including actors Tunde Adebimpe, LaTonya Borsay, and John Weigand, saying, “The folks who came together to make this film have my heart, pun intended. And I’m incredibly grateful to them for giving this story life.”
Obama additionally shared with viewers, “We hope that you enjoy the film, and that it makes you feel a bit less lonely, or at least reminds you not to forget about the people who are.” Hopefully we’ll get to enjoy it as she wishes sometime soon.