Latest news with #NatalieJasmineHarris
Time of India
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Malia Obama's first Nike ad under fire for alleged plagiarism as critics say it's shockingly similar to Indie filmmaker's original work
Former First Daughter Malia Obama 's first project for Nike was meant to highlight fresh creative talent. It has instead ignited a plagiarism controversy. Indie filmmaker Natalie Jasmine Harris claims that Obama's Nike commercial uses primary imagery from her Sundance-screened short Grace, questioning credit, originality, and the hiring practices of big brands. The former president's daughter, Malia Obama, was charged with stealing an independent filmmaker's work for a Nike ad, which was released earlier this month, as per a report by The NY Post. GIF89a����!�,D; Continue to video 5 5 Next Stay Playback speed 1x Normal Back 0.25x 0.5x 1x Normal 1.5x 2x 5 5 / Skip Ads by ALSO READ: Why did Queen Letizia of Spain wear a white dress at Pope Leo XIV's inauguration while others wore black? Here's the reason Which scenes look similar? Natalie Jasmine Harris claimed that parts of Obama's one-minute ad were 'shockingly similar' to her own 2024 short film. The scene involves two young Black girls playing a game called pat-a-cake. According to Harris, there were many technical parallels between the shots, framing composition, colour scheme, and camera angles, as per a report by The NY Post. Live Events What did Natalie Jasmine Harris say about the shocking similarity? Natalie Jasmine Harris told Business Insider, "It's not about the game." It has to do with the cinematic techniques employed to portray it. She expressed that it was devastating, alongside a side-by-side comparison of the images. 'I know art often overlaps, but moments like this hit hard when you've poured your heart into telling stories with care and barely get the recognition you deserve. If brands want a certain look, why not hire from the source instead of for name recognition?" she wrote on X. What does this say about 'nepo' culture in film? Harris claims that her frustration is with the industry rather than Malia Obama personally. She blamed industry favouritism for ignoring independent creators in favour of well-known names. She stated that it highlights a broader problem of brands choosing people with established names over independent artists, which doesn't lead to creative films or unique narratives. Following the former first daughter's declaration that she would drop her last name in order to avoid being branded a nepo baby, the two met at last year's Sundance Film Festival when Harris screened the 14-minute "Grace." FAQs What does Natalie Jasmine Harris say was copied? She compares a pat-a-cake scene to her short film Grace , citing similar shot composition, camera movement, and colour tones. Is Malia Obama or Nike facing legal action? So far, Natalie Jasmine Harris hasn't filed a lawsuit; she blames her frustration on industry gatekeepers who prioritise celebrity over originality.
Fox News
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Independent filmmaker accuses Malia Obama of ripping off her movie for Nike commercial
An independent filmmaker is accusing former first daughter Malia Obama of cinematically plagiarizing her work in a recent Nike commercial. Director Natalie Jasmine Harris claimed Obama ripped off a scene from her recent short film "Grace" in which two characters play "pat-a-cake" in her Nike commercial, starring WNBA star A'ja Wilson. Harris maintains that Obama ripped off the "cinematic tools" used to shoot the childhood game. "Initially, I was disappointed and hurt — not just for myself but for my entire team," Harris told Business Insider. Obama's Nike commercial, "Teaching the Pro," features a young girl explaining the complex choreography of a customized game of "pat-a-cake" to Las Vegas Aces Center A'ja Wilson as she initially struggles to keep up. Harris, 27, claimed that the camera angles, shots, framing and even the color palette used in the ad echoed a similar scene from "Grace," which she described as a "Black Southern Gothic short about a girl who's being baptized and questioning her feelings for her best friend." "If they wanted these shots that were similar to my shots, why not hire me to direct?" Harris asked Business Insider. Harris claimed she met Obama, 26, at a directors' brunch and other events at Sundance 2024, where their short films "Grace" and "The Heart," respectively, were in competition. Obama, who goes by Malia Ann professionally, was also a writer on the Amazon Prime series "Swarm." The "Grace" director said her experience speaks to a larger frustration that big brands aren't willing to provide opportunities to burgeoning filmmakers. She said that brands' reluctance to take a chance on unknown filmmakers results in a loss of innovative films and original storytelling. "The route that used to work for the Spike Lees and Steven Spielbergs of the world feels less viable today. If we're continuously overlooked, how is the next generation of filmmakers going to exist?" Harris told Business Insider. Harris has enjoyed her fair share of commercial work, shooting spots for Verizon and Hyundai. Her student film "Pure" was purchased by HBO, but still, she describes independent filmmaking as a "struggle" and says she relies on freelance work to pay the bills. She said she has not heard back from Obama or Nike since she began speaking out about the similarities. The filmmaker claimed that she was reluctant to raise the issue, fearful of taking on a president's daughter and a major brand, but felt she had to address what she sees as a major problem in her industry. "I've poured too much into my work to just sit by and watch." Obama, Nike and Harris did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
NDTV
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- NDTV
Barack Obama's Daughter Malia Accused Of Plagiarising Indie Film For Nike Commercial
Malia Obama, daughter of former US President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, is facing accusations of copying an indie filmmaker's work in her debut Nike commercial. On X, Natalie Jasmine Harris, 27, claimed that the commercial's scenes, particularly one featuring two young Black girls playing pat-a-cake, are strikingly similar to her 2024 Sundance short film, 'Grace'. Ms Harris expressed her disappointment, stating that she was "hit hard" upon seeing the ad, which she believes borrowed heavily from her work without acknowledgement. Ms Harris also shared side-by-side comparisons on social media, highlighting similarities in camera angles, shots, framing, and colour palette between her film and Obama's commercial for A'ja Wilson's debut A'One sneaker. "Been sitting with this for a while. My Sundance short film GRACE (shot brilliantly by Tehillah de Castro) 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," she wrote. See the tweet here: I know art often overlaps, but moments like this hit hard when you've poured your heart into telling stories with care and barely get the recognition you deserve. If brands want a certain look, why not hire from the source instead of for name recognition? @Nike @_ajawilson22 — Natalie Jasmine Harris (@nataliejharris) May 6, 2025 "I know art often overlaps, but moments like this hit hard when you've poured your heart into telling stories with care and barely get the recognition you deserve. If brands want a certain look, why not hire from the source instead of for name recognition?" she added. The internet quickly responded to Ms Harris's claims, with some users agreeing that the similarities between the commercial and her film were striking, while others defended Malia Obama, suggesting it was a coincidence or that the concept wasn't unique. One user said, "I watched both. Not a copy." Another user commented, "You're reaching… so black girls playing patty cake is an original image you created?" A third said, "You definitely need to due, this is blatant plagiarism and you know she saw your short film, you two were competing in 2024! Don't let this go unpunished." Notably, Malia Obama and Natalie Jasmine Harris crossed paths at the Sundance Film Festival last year, where both had films in competition. Ms Harris's 14-minute film 'Grace' was screened at the festival, while Ms Obama also made her red-carpet debut, having opted to go by "Malia" instead of her full name to avoid nepotism accusations.
Daily Mail
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Malia Obama accused of plagiarism after directing ad for Nike 'shockingly similar' to filmmaker's Sundance film
An independent filmmaker who premiered her film at Sundance is alleging that a recent Nike advertisement directed by Malia Obama, 26, is 'shockingly similar' to her work. Natalie Jasmine Harris, 27, shared stills from her film, Grace, alongside shots from Malia's Nike commercial featuring A'ja Wilson that depicted similar images of black girls playing the game pat-a-cake on a stoop. 'Been sitting with this for a while. My Sundance short film Grace (shot brilliantly by Tehillah de Castro) was made with deep love and care,' Natalie wrote in the caption. '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…' Natalie went on to say that even though art often overlaps, 'moments like this hit hard when you've poured your heart into telling stories with care and barely get the recognition you deserve. 'If brands want a certain look, why not hire from the source instead of for name recognition?' Her post quickly went viral, with many sounding off on whether the comparisons were justified or if it was just a coincidence. 'I watched both. Not a copy,' one comment read. 'You're reaching… so black girls playing patty cake is an original image you created?' another agreed. However, others agreed that the ad looked plagiarized, with one writing, 'You definitely need to sue, this is blatant plagiarism, and you know she saw your short film, you two were competing in 2024! Don't let this go unpunished.' 'That was stolen. Sorry that happened to you,' another agreed. Natalie also wrote about the situation in a recent essay featured in Business Insider, where she opened up about the shocking moment when she saw the ad. 'At first, I was confused, wondering whether it was real,' Natalie said. 'Initially, I was disappointed and hurt — not just for myself but for my entire team. I sent the commercial to friends who had the same reaction I did,' she continued. Natalie acknowledged that the game wasn't her invention and said she understood it's a popular playground activity. However, she noted that the similarities go beyond the stills and extend to the cinematography tools used in both her film and Malia's commercial. Natalie's film, Grace, depicted a young black girl grappling with her sexuality and religion Natalie argued that the camera angles, framing composition, and color palette eerily resembled that of Grace. She even revealed that she crossed paths with Malia at the Sundance Film Festival in 2024, where Grace and Malia's film, The Heart, premiered. Natalie added that she saw Malia at the director's brunch. 'Over time, I've moved through that initial shock into a deeper frustration around how instances like this are very common — and need to change,' Natalie said. She went on to say that her situation demonstrates a larger issue of brands overlooking independent artists to work with people who already have name recognition. Natalie is an up-and-coming director whose film, Grace, depicted a young black girl coming to terms with her sexuality and her religion in the south. Natalie acknowledged that she doesn't own the playground game, but argued that the situation points to a larger issue of independent directors getting overlooked She graduated from New York University in 2020, and her thesis film was bought by HBO. 'Sometimes it can feel like filmmaking is something that's supposed to be a hobby for the wealthy rather than something that can actually be a career,' Natalie wrote. Meanwhile, following her tenure as the First Daughter growing up in the White House, Malia attended Harvard University and was honored with the Thomas Temple Hoopes Prize winner for excellence in art.
Business Insider
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Business Insider
Malia Obama's Nike ad echoes my short film. It's part of a bigger problem.
This as-told-to essay is based on a transcribed conversation with Natalie Jasmine Harris, a 27-year-old filmmaker. It has been edited for length and clarity. Reps for Malia Obama, Nike, the ad agency Wieden+Kennedy, and the production company Iconoclast didn't respond to requests for comment. Earlier this month, at the Denver airport on the way home from a TV directing mentorship program, I was scrolling on Instagram when Malia Obama's Nike ad with the basketball star A'ja Wilson appeared on my feed. At first, I was confused, wondering whether it was real. It featured two people playing pat-a-cake in a way that echoed an early scene from my 14-minute short film " Grace," which is a Black Southern Gothic short about a girl who's being baptized and questioning her feelings for her best friend. I'd met Malia at Sundance in 2024, when "Grace" and her short film " The Heart" were both in competition. We saw each other at the director's brunch and a couple other events. Initially, I was disappointed and hurt — not just for myself but for my entire team. I sent the commercial to friends who had the same reaction I did. One put together a shot-by-shot photo comparison. Since posting about the issue online, there have been a lot of people who don't understand my disappointment. They're like, "You didn't invent pat-a-cake." And that's very true. But it's not about the game, it's about the cinematic tools used to depict it. My cinematographer, Tehillah De Castro, noted a lot of similarities from a technical perspective, from the camera angles to the shots to the framing composition and the color palette. Over time, I've moved through that initial shock into a deeper frustration around how instances like this are very common — and need to change. It speaks to a larger issue of brands not supporting independent artists and opting for folks who already have name recognition, which doesn't breed innovative films or original storytelling. If they wanted these shots that were similar to my shots, why not hire me to direct? The route that used to work for the Spike Lees and Steven Spielbergs of the world feels less viable today. If we're continuously overlooked, how is the next generation of filmmakers going to exist? Despite early success, being a young director has been a struggle I knew I wanted to be a director from a young age. I started making documentaries in high school about social justice during the Black Lives Matter movement. A lot of my work centers joy in coming-of-age experiences, black women, and queer stories — things that are personal to me. Despite graduating from New York University in 2020 at the height of the pandemic, I've had a lot of success so far. My thesis film, " Pure," ended up getting bought by HBO shortly after I graduated, and it won the DGA Student Film Award. I also won a contest to direct a commercial for Hyundai and did a commercial for Verizon. In addition to going to Sundance in 2024, "Grace" is also a Vimeo Staff Pick and will be on Criterion in June. Still, being a young director has been a struggle. Festivals are great, but they don't pay the bills. I've taken on other full-time and freelance jobs. Right now, I'm working on my first feature, which I've spent the last several years writing and pitching. But I've often run into roadblocks with production companies and financiers saying, in so many words, that no one wants to be the first person to bet on me — coupled with the fact that I'm young and don't have an established name. I would like there to be some acknowledgment I haven't heard from Malia Obama or Nike since speaking out, but I would like for there to be some acknowledgment. I was initially hesitant to speak out, since it involves a former president's daughter and a beloved brand like Nike. Criticizing something involving the WNBA was also hard because it means a lot to me personally, and it already gets such a lack of a spotlight. But I've poured too much into my work to just sit by and watch. Sometimes it can feel like filmmaking is something that's supposed to be a hobby for the wealthy rather than something that can actually be a career. But I don't want to give up. I have a beautiful community of friends and family and colleagues fighting the same fight, and there's hope in that. I still have a lot of stories I want to tell. And I want to be a name someday, too.
