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Michelle and Barack Obama's daughter Malia changes her famous surname amid Hollywood career
Malia Obama let go of her famous surname ahead of her short film, The Heart's premiere at the Sundance Film Festival
Barack and Michelle Obama's elder daughter, Malia, has recently ditched her famous family surname. This significant change comes as the 25-year-old embraces her debut in Hollywood as a filmmaker. The budding director adopted the new stage name ahead of the Sundance Film Festival premiere of her short film, The Heart in Utah.
What is Malia's new name?
The Harvard graduate had forgone her last name, Obama, back in January. In the Sundance Institute's Meet the Artist spotlight video, the former US President's daughter was referred to as Malia Ann.
Malia's short film, The Heart, revolves around the intense and complex relationship between a mother and her son. The lead cast for the film includes Tunde Adebimpe, LaTonya Borsay, and John Weigand.
In her spotlight video, Malia described the film as “an odd little story, somewhat of fable, about a man grieving the death of his mother after she leaves him an unusual request in her will.”
Malia Ann's other works in Hollywood
Prior to her Hollywood debut, Malia interned on the HBO drama series Girls and at Harvey Weinstein's production company. Additionally, Malia has also worked as a staff writer on Donald Glover's Amazon Prime series Swarm.
Talking about her work ethic and determination, Glover told Vanity Fair, “She’s just, like, an amazingly talented person. She's really focused, and she’s working really hard.” “I feel like she’s just somebody who’s gonna have really good things coming soon… Her writing style is great,” Glover added.
She co-wrote the fifth episode alongside the show's creator, Janine Nabers, who showered her with nothing but praise. “Some of her pitches were wild as hell, and they were just so good and so fun. She's an incredible writer. She brought a lot to the table… She's really, really dedicated to her craft,” Nabers told ET last year.
