aMalia Obama daughter of Barack and Michelle Obama has chosen to distance herself from her famous family surname as she steps into the Hollywood spotlight as a filmmaker. Ahead of the Sundance Film Festival premiere of her short film The Heart the 25year old Harvard graduate adopted a new stage name dropping Obama. In the Sundance Institute Meet the Artist spotlight video she was introduced as Malia Ann. The Heart explores the intricate dynamics between a mother and her son featuring actors Tunde Adebimpe LaTonya Borsay and John Weigand. Prior to her directorial debut Malia interned on HBO Girls and at Harvey Weinstein’s production company. She also served as a staff writer on Donald Glover Amazon Prime series Swarm.