Malia Obama Accused of Copying Indie Film in Nike Ad Debut

Former First Daughter Malia Obama’s recent entry into commercial directing was supposed to be a triumphant career milestone. Instead, her Nike ad is facing claims that it borrows too liberally from another rising filmmaker’s work. Natalie Jasmine Harris, whose short film Grace premiered at Sundance in 2024, says she was stunned by the striking visual similarities between her film and Obama’s commercial. And she’s not keeping quiet.

The 26-year-old Harvard graduate made headlines this month for her high-profile directorial debut with Nike, but not everyone applauds. On Friday, Harris, 27, spoke candidly to Business Insider about what she called “a larger issue” in the entertainment industry: powerful names getting prestigious gigs while independent artists are left out of the conversation entirely or creatively sidelined.

A Scene Too Familiar to Ignore

The moment that set off alarms for Harris? A soft-lit, intimate shot of two young Black girls playing pat-a-cake. A tender sequence that appears in both Grace and the Obama-directed Nike ad. The visuals aren’t just reminiscent. Harris says they’re “shockingly similar” down to the color palette, framing, and camera angles.

Harris, who meticulously storyboarded Grace alongside her creative team, says the similarities were so pronounced they prompted her to post a side-by-side comparison on social media.

On May 5, she took to X, formerly Twitter, and wrote: “I know art often overlaps, but moments like this hit hard.” The post, which included shot-by-shot comparisons, quickly gained traction among indie filmmakers and film critics alike. It’s one thing for two creatives to be inspired by the same themes. It’s another when one of those creatives was in the audience for your premiere at Sundance.

A Sundance Connection That Raises Eyebrows

Adding fuel to the fire, Harris revealed that she and Obama met at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, where both of their short films were screened. Harris’ Grace was celebrated for its introspective portrayal of Black girlhood and identity. Obama’s The Heart marked her own foray into narrative storytelling.

Given the timing, the alleged overlap feels especially suspect to Harris and her team. “We’ve noted a lot of similarities,” she told Business Insider, referencing not just the visuals but the tonal and stylistic choices throughout the ad. “From the camera angles to the shots to the framing composition and the color palette.”

While Harris was careful not to directly accuse Obama of plagiarism, the subtext is impossible to ignore. When asked whether she believed the commercial was a direct ripoff, she responded, “That’s not for me to definitively say. But the resemblance is hard to dismiss.”

The Industry’s Favorite Formula: Name Recognition Over Talent

Harris made it clear that her frustration isn’t with Obama personally. Instead, she points the finger squarely at the entertainment and advertising industries that continue to reward notoriety over originality.

“This isn’t about Malia,” Harris said. “This is about a larger issue of brands not supporting independent artists and opting for folks who already have name recognition.”

That statement says it all. Obama, daughter of former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama, didn’t exactly claw her way into Nike’s director’s chair. She’s worked hard to establish herself as a storyteller, writing for Swarm and debuting her short at Sundance, but access is access. And when a multinational corporation wants a compelling ad with a side of cultural cachet, it’s not surprising they’d tap someone whose last name is Obama.

But Harris isn’t interested in playing polite about that reality anymore. “If they wanted these shots that were similar to my shots,” she asked bluntly, “why not hire me to direct?”

Creative Theft or Convenient Inspiration?

The line between inspiration and imitation is famously thin in the creative world, but that doesn’t mean it should be crossed without acknowledgment. The ad in question leans heavily into imagery rooted in Black girlhood, nostalgia, and softness. These are themes that Harris has long explored with her own cinematic voice.

For many in the indie film community, this situation echoes a familiar pattern. Major studios and brands frequently mine film festivals and student showcases for aesthetics, style, and cultural resonance. Often without credit, collaboration, or compensation. It’s the corporate version of creative gentrification.

And Harris’ experience is emblematic of the very reason many young filmmakers hesitate to share their work publicly. When your most vulnerable, personal scenes can be lifted and repackaged into a billion-dollar ad campaign without even a courtesy call, what’s the incentive?

Silence From Nike and the Obama Camp

As of publication, neither Nike nor Malia Obama has issued a public response to the allegations. The silence speaks volumes. For a campaign built around empowerment and community, this PR hiccup undercuts the message. Especially when the very artist whose vision may have been echoed was excluded from the opportunity.

What began as a celebratory moment for a young director with a famous pedigree has now become a flashpoint in a much bigger conversation. At a time when the entertainment industry claims to be prioritizing inclusion and equity, stories like Harris’ suggest we still have a long way to go.

When Visibility Isn’t Enough

It’s one thing to advocate for underrepresented voices. It’s another thing entirely to actually hire them, credit them, and pay them. Malia Obama will no doubt continue to build her career, and she may have had no ill intent whatsoever. But intention doesn’t erase impact. And when your ad is being dissected online frame by frame because it looks a little too familiar, maybe the next step isn’t silence. Maybe it’s accountability.

If Nike really wants to champion the next generation of creators, perhaps it should start by acknowledging when one of them has already done the work brilliantly and first.