Malia Obama, the eldest daughter of former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama, is now carving out her own path—and she’s even chosen to go by a different name.

At 25, she recently premiered her directorial debut, The Heart, at the Sundance Film Festival.

Interestingly, when the film’s credits rolled, her famous last name was nowhere to be seen.

Malia Ann Obama was born on July 4, 1998, with her middle name honoring her paternal grandmother, who passed away from ovarian cancer at the age of 52 in 1995. After spending her childhood in the public eye as the daughter of a U.S. President and later earning a degree from Harvard, Malia decided to pursue a career in screenwriting.

For her latest project, The Heart, in which she takes on both directing and screenwriting roles, Malia chose to work under the name Malia Ann. Earlier this year, she made a striking appearance on the festival’s red carpet, attending the premiere of her film.

However, this isn’t her first step into the entertainment world. Back in 2021, she was part of the writing team for the series Swarm, which later premiered on Amazon Prime. Featuring well-known actors like Billie Eilish and Rory Culkin, Swarm served as a strong starting point for her career in the industry.

“Some of her pitches were wild as hell, and they were just so good and so funny. She’s an incredible writer,” Swarm co-creator Janine Nabers told E! Online while praising Malia’s talent. “She brought a lot to the table… She’s really, really dedicated to her craft.”