Malia Obama-Directed Nike Ad Accused Of Copying Sundance Filmmaker’s Work: ‘Shockingly Similar’

Malia Obama-Directed Nike Ad Accused Of Copying Sundance Filmmaker’s Work: ‘Shockingly Similar’

Malia Obama is catching heat after the release of a new Nike commercial she directed for WNBA star A’ja Wilson.

Filmmaker Natalie Jasmine Harris, 26, recently claimed that Malia’s latest Nike ad bears an uncanny resemblance to her short film “Grace,” which premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.

Harris, who said she met Malia at Sundance earlier this year, didn’t hold back while addressing the matter online, writing in one post:

“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?”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by The Jasmine Brand (@the.jasmine.brand)

Later, on Instagram, Harris called the situation “disheartening and disappointing,” furthering:

“I’m constantly posting about how difficult it is to be an emerging filmmaker right now and sustain myself without benefitting from family connections, generational wealth, or nepotism. And then to see this just really gives me even less hope that this industry wants me to be here.”

Nike has yet to respond publicly to the claims.

In one of the two ads Malia directed for the campaign, a young girl teaches A’ja Wilson her version of “Miss Mary Mack” while sitting on a stoop. In Harris’ film, two girls play a nearly identical hand game while sitting on the steps of a home.

Malia, a Harvard grad and emerging filmmaker in her own right, made waves with the Nike commercial celebrating Wilson’s new signature shoe, the A’One, which officially drops May 6.

Can you see the similarities between the two projects?