Did Malia Obama's Nike ad copy Sundance short film?
What's the story
Indie filmmaker Natalie Jasmine Harris has accused Malia Obama and Nike of stealing inspiration from her short film Grace for their latest campaign ad.
The ad, helmed by Obama, featuring WNBA star A'ja Wilson, has been likened to Harris's film, which was featured at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.
Harris has been sharing video clips and screen stills of both her short and the ad on social media to raise awareness.
Visual parallels
Composition and color similarities noted between ad and film
The filmmaker pointed out resemblances in a particular scene where, in her film, two young Black women in the 1950s are shown playing a hand game on their front steps, while in the Nike ad, it is WNBA star Wilson doing the same with a young girl in the present day.
Interestingly, Harris also noted that the composition of the Nike ad is a near-exact replica of her short film.
Filmmaker's reaction
Obama was also at Sundance when 'Grace' was screened
Both works use the front doors as the framing device for the pairs of women. Plus, the color of the film grain in both projects is eerily similar.
Harris took to social media to voice her dismay.
In a X post, she said, "My Sundance short film Grace was made with deep love and care. The social cut of the new Nike commercial directed by Malia Obama (who was also at Sundance my year) feels shockingly similar to my work."
Twitter Post
Here's a side-by-side comparison of similarities
I'm just going to leave this here.
— Natalie Jasmine Harris (@nataliejharris) May 12, 2025
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
Industry critique
Harris questioned industry's treatment of emerging filmmakers
In another X post, Harris slammed the industry for the way it treats emerging filmmakers.
She had asked why brands don't hire from the source instead of name recognition.
"If brands want a certain look, why not hire from the source instead of for name recognition?"
She repeated her sentiments on Instagram, adding that such incidents make her less hopeful about her place in the industry.
Ad campaign
Nike ad was part of Wilson's successful shoe campaign
The Nike ad with Wilson is a part of her campaign for the A'One Nike shoes, which sold out in minutes after going on sale.
In her official Sundance synopsis of Grace, Harris said the film "rewrites and rights the history validating that Queer Black women have always been here; thriving, existing and being."
Meanwhile, former US President Barack Obama's elder daughter is a writer-director who debuted at the Sundance red carpet in 2024 with The Heart (2023).