Malia Obama has been accused of completely ripping off an indie film for her Nike commercial directorial debut.
The commercial is nearly identical to the short film scene, shot-by-shot and angle-by-angle.
Natalie Jasmine Harris, 27, the director of the short film “Grace,” has indicated that she is considering legal action over the alleged plagiarism.
In Obama’s video, two young black girls play pat-a-cake and use the same color palette, camera shots, and framing as a scene in Grace.
I’m just going to leave this here.
This is my indie short film, “Grace,” next to Malia Obama’s @Nike x @_ajawilson22 commercial
It’s devastating, but at least you can (hopefully) see that this is about much more than just pat-a-cake…. pic.twitter.com/71m0H5n84z
— Natalie Jasmine Harris (@nataliejharris) May 12, 2025
The film was screened at the Sundance Film Festival, which Obama attended.
Making the matter even more shocking, Harris told Business Insider that the two actually met at the festival because their films were competing against each other.
“I’d met Malia at Sundance in 2024, when ‘Grace’ and her short film ‘The Heart’ were both in competition. We saw each other at the director’s brunch and a couple other events,” she said.
Harris also took to social media to vent her frustrations.
“I know art often overlaps, but moments like this hit hard when you’ve poured your heart into telling stories with care and barely get the recognition you deserve. If brands want a certain look, why not hire from the source instead of for name recognition?” Harris wrote in a post on X.
I know art often overlaps, but moments like this hit hard when you’ve poured your heart into telling stories with care and barely get the recognition you deserve. If brands want a certain look, why not hire from the source instead of for name recognition? @Nike @_ajawilson22 pic.twitter.com/Y57ACZiPRe
— Natalie Jasmine Harris (@nataliejharris) May 6, 2025
When someone commented that she should speak to an attorney, Harris responded, “We shall see…”
we shall see…
— Natalie Jasmine Harris (@nataliejharris) May 12, 2025
