Malia Obama Walked The Sundance Red Carpet In Honor of Her Directorial Debut

Former first daughter Malia Obama walked her very first red carpet in honor and in celebration of her directorial debut.

On Jan. 18, 2024, the 25-year-old daughter of former President Barack Obama attended the 2024 Sundance Film Festival premiere of her first movie The Heart, which she both wrote and directed.

In a video posted by Sundance about the short film, Obama described the project as “an odd little story, somewhat of a fable, about a man grieving the death of his mother after she leaves him an unusual request in her will.”

“The film is about lost objects, and lonely people, forgiveness and regret," she added. "But I also think it works hard to uncover where tenderness and closeness can exist in these things."

The budding cinematographer looked effortlessly chic while walking the Sundance Red Carpet in a loose button-down shirt underneath a gray wool gray coat.

She paired the look with a pair of jeans, chunky platform boots and a gray scarf.

While the Sundance Film Festival premiere of Obama's short film marks her red carpet debut, she is hardly a stranger to the entertainment industry. In 2022, actor and producer Donald Glover hired Obama as a writer for his Prime show Swarm.

“She’s just, like, an amazingly talented person,” Glover said of the new director, as reported by The Hill. Glover also said Obama was "really focused."

In the same Sundance video about The Heart, Obama said that "the folks who came together to make this film have my heart, pun intended."

"I'm incredibly grateful to them for giving this story life," she added. "And we are grateful to Sundance for giving us the opportunity to share it with you all."