Malia Obama’s Hollywood Career Keeps Rising and Here’s Why It’s Well Deserved

Malia Obama’s rising career in Hollywood may only be just beginning but it already looks like she’s off to a great start thanks to a recently released project.

It’s no secret that Obama—or “Malia Ann” as she prefers to be known professionally—dipped her foot into the Hollywood space back in 2023 when it was revealed she was one of the writers for her the popular Prime Video show, “Swarm.”

At the top of 2024, she stepped even further into the Hollywood world again when it was revealed that she wrote and directed her first short film called “The Heart” which debuted at Sundance Film Festival. It previously screened at Telluride and the Chicago International Film Festival, the latter in which it was recognized in the Best Live Action Short category. In Sep., the film also earned the Young Spirit award at this year’s Deauville Film Festival.

Now as the year comes to a close, Malia Ann is adding yet another notch in her film belt by directing a new music video for U.K. artist Michael Kiwanuka’s new single, “One and Only.” In the video, a woman can be seen chasing her lookalike in a woodsy area before eventually catching up to her and facing off.

This foray into the music space only adds to Malia Ann’s growing creative career. But if this all still feels like it’s coming out of left field—here’s why it shouldn’t. Prior to her attending Harvard University, the eldest daughter of the Obama’s snagged an opportunity to work as a production assistant on the set of “Extant” (where her efforts were praised by Halle Berry). In 2015, she worked in the writer’s room under an internship for HBO’s “Girls.” When she got in Harvard, Malia Ann snagged a few more internships that aligned with her interests in the film space such as working (very briefly) at the Weinstein Company and the Smithsonian National Zoo.

By the time she graduated in 2021 with her Bachelor of Arts degree in history, she was already joining forces with Donald Glover to help work on the aforementioned series, “Swarm.” The partnership with Glover would prove to be paramount as his production company Gilga served as one of the creative forces behind her short film “The Heart.”

Now with this music video under her belt and her already impressive resume, it looks like Malia Ann is well on her way to carving out her own successful lane in Hollywood.