Malia Ann is a filmmaker promoting her work The Heart at the Sundance Film Festival, but she’s better known by a different name: Malia Obama.
The former president’s daughter called herself “Malia Ann” in the promotional materials for her directorial debut.
Ann was accused of trying to shield herself from allegations of nepotism.
Twitter users slammed Ann as a “nepo baby,” an entertainment industry term for people benefitting from their parents’ connections.
“Obama’s daughter trying to sneak past Nepo baby discourse by not using her last name,” one account said. “Bro you are Obama’s Duaghter.”
Another person simply remarked, “I’d be embarrassed to have the Obama name too.”
Other observers have defended her name change and described the practice as common.
The View co-host Whoopi Goldberg, whose legal name is Caryn Johnson, said on air, “Why do you care what she calls herself? If she wanted to call herself Jeanette McDonald, she has the right to! If I can be Whoopi Goldberg, she can be whoever the hell she wants to be.”
Ann has dealt with nepotism allegations before.
In 2021, she graduated from Harvard University, her father’s alma mater. She interned for The Weinstein Company only months before Harvey Weinstein’s ouster. Before that, she’s worked on the HBO series Girls and the CBS series Extant.
After that, Ann co-wrote the miniseries Swarm, before directing the new movie for the same production company.
“My name is Malia,” Ann said in a promotional video for the movie. “This is 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. The film is about lost objects and lonely people and forgiveness and regret, but I also think it works harder to uncover where tenderness and closeness can exist in these things.”
Reviews have been lukewarm. Letterboxd users gave the movie 3.2 out of a possible five. The film critic for The New York Times speculated, “In-the-know types might wonder if the ‘Steven and Kate’ thanked in the closing credits are Spielberg and Capshaw, a husband and wife who can ensure a well-connected debut.”
“It’s nice The Obamas took on entire new careers so Malia Obama could be a nepo baby in the right industry,” one Letterboxd user said, referring to Barack Obama’s second career as a documentary producer.
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