Former US President Barack Obama’s daughter Malia Obama made her directorial debut with a Nike commercial earlier this month. However, her work has sparked controversy after accusations of plagiarism by an indie filmmaker.

Natalie Jasmine Harris, 27, said Obama’s one-minute commercial contained scenes that were “shockingly similar” to her own 2024 short film “Grace”, showing two young Black girls playing pat-a-cake on a stoop.

Barack Obama with his daughter Malia. (Reuters/File Image)

Harris shared a side-by-side video comparing scenes from her film and Malia Obama’s commercial, saying, “It’s devastating, but at least you can (hopefully) see that this is about much more than just pat-a-cake.”

According to Harris, the Nike commercial even borrowed elements like the framing, lighting, pacing, shot list and colour palette. She said the commercial’s visual language was “shockingly similar” to ‘Grace’. Speaking to Business Insider, Harris said, “It’s not about the game. It’s about the cinematic tools used to depict it.”

“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,” she wrote on X.

Harris says she isn’t frustrated with Obama herself, but with the industry. “It speaks to a larger issue of brands not supporting independent artists and opting for folks who already have name recognition, which doesn’t breed innovative films or original storytelling.”

Harris and Malia met at last year’s Sundance Film Festival, where the former presented her 14-minute Grace in competition with Malia’s red carpet debut. The former first daughter had said she would drop her last name to avoid being labelled a “nepo 𝑏𝑎𝑏𝑦”, according to the New York Post.