A dark cloud may have been cast over Malia Obama’s recent Nike ad featuring WNBA star A’ja Wilson.
At the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, the former first daughter presented work alongside filmmaker Natalie Jasmine Harris — but that’s not where the story ends. In a May 5 post on X, formerly Twitter, Harris noted “similarities” between her short film “GRACE” and Obama’s recent Nike commercial.
“Been sitting with this for a while. My Sundance short film GRACE (shot brilliantly by Tehillah de Castro) was made with deep love and care,” Harris wrote. “The social cut of the new @Nike commercial directed by Malia Obama (who was also at Sundance my year) feels shockingly similar to my work…”
Harris acknowledged that “art often overlaps,” but admitted the resemblance was a “hard” pill to swallow, given how carefully she crafted their story.
On May 16, Harris published an essay with Business Insider, recounting her confusion upon first seeing the ad. She noted the commercial featured “people playing pat-a-cake in a way that echoed an early scene” from her short film. She also recalled meeting Obama at Sundance, where the two crossed paths at a director’s brunch and other events.
