0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
Former First Daughter Malia Obama’s recent entry into commercial directing was supposed to be a triumphant career milestone. Instead, her Nike ad is facing claims that it borrows too liberally from another rising filmmaker’s work. Natalie Jasmine Harris, whose short film Grace premiered at Sundance in 2024, says she was stunned by the striking visual similarities between her film and Obama’s commercial. And she’s not keeping quiet.The 26-year-old Harvard graduate made headlines this month for her high-profile directorial debut with Nike, but not everyone applauds. On Friday, Harris, 27, spoke candidly to Business Insider about what she called “a larger issue” in the entertainment industry: powerful names getting prestigious gigs while independent artists are left out of the conversation entirely or creatively sidelined. ...Adding fuel to the fire, Harris revealed that she and Obama met at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, where both of their short films were screened. Harris’ Grace was celebrated for its introspective portrayal of Black girlhood and identity. Obama’s The Heart marked her own foray into narrative storytelling.Given the timing, the alleged overlap feels especially suspect to Harris and her team. “We’ve noted a lot of similarities,” she told Business Insider, referencing not just the visuals but the tonal and stylistic choices throughout the ad. “From the camera angles to the shots to the framing composition and the color palette.” ...
