Daughter of former President and First Lady of the United States Barack and Michelle Obama, Malia Obama is now an adult who is progressively paving her own way in life. She has even chosen to alter her name.

At the recent Sundance Film Festival, the 25-year-old debuted as a director with The Heart.

Her family surname was conspicuously absent from the credits for the movie.

Her middle name honors her paternal grandmother, who died of ovarian cancer in 1995 at the age of 52, when she was born Malia Ann Obama on July 4, 1998. Following her Harvard graduation and upbringing in the spotlight as the President’s daughter, Malia decided to pursue a career in screenwriting.

Malia Ann became her alias for her most recent film, The Heart, in which she plays both scriptwriter and director. Arriving on the red carpet of the festival earlier this year, Malia relished the release of her film.

Nevertheless, Malia is not new to the business; this is not her first time creating movies. She worked with the writing team on the 2021 Amazon Prime series Swarm. With well-known cast members including Billie Eilish and Rory Culkin, Swarm signaled a bright beginning for her career.