Malia Obama Makes First Red Carpet Appearance for Directorial Debut

Originally appeared on E! Online

From the White House to the red carpet.

Malia Obama, the eldest daughter of former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, made her first-ever red carpet appearance at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah Jan. 17.

The 25-year-old—who wore a long grey coat paired with a blue-striped button-down and black leggings for the occasion—celebrated the premiere of her short film, The Heart. The project, which follows a grieving son whose mother left him with an unusual request in her will, is Malia's directorial debut.

"The film is about lost objects and lonely people and forgiveness and regret," she shared in a Jan. 17 YouTube video, "but I also think it works hard to uncover where tenderness and closeness can exist in these things."

She added, "We hope you enjoy the film and it makes you feel a bit less lonely or at least reminds you not to forget about the people who are."

Malia Obama and Sasha Obama Over the Years

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Ahead of The Heart's premiere, Donald Glover, whose company Gilga produced the film, sang Malia's praises.

"I feel like she's just somebody who's gonna have really good things coming soon," the Atlanta creator told Vanity Fair in March 2022. "Her writing style is great."

It might be Malia's first foray as a director, but the former First Daughter does have experience when it comes to writing. After all, she was a staff writer on Amazon Prime's Swarm.

"Some of her pitches were wild as hell, and they were just so good and so funny," co-creator Janine Nabers told Entertainment Tonight in March. "She's an incredible writer. She brought a lot to the table.

As she put it, "She's really, really dedicated to her craft."

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