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Obama has been accused by Laurel, Maryland resident Natalie Jasmine Harris, 27, of copying her work in a 2024 short film "Grace," on a recently released Nike commercial with A'Ja Wilson.
Harris called it "devastating" in a post on social media.
"I'm just going to leave this here."
"This is my indie short film, 'Grace,' next to Malia Obama's @Nike @_ajawilson22 commercial," she posted. 'It's devastating, but at least you can (hopefully) see that this is about much more than just pat-a-cake...."
Harris used the opportunity to promote her short film, while also sharing a GoFundMe campaign she created for herself in December last year, where she wrote that she was forced to move from her New York City apartment to return to Maryland.
"I’ve been unemployed / under-employed for the majority of 2024," she wrote. "Since getting laid off from my day job in November 2023, I’ve faced ongoing financial challenges.
"The job hunt for freelance film work or a stable day job has been incredibly difficult."
Harris claims that her complaint is about "the cinematic tools" Obama used in framing her commercial, from the camera angles to the shots that were filmed.
"The framing, lighting, pacing, shot list, color palette still speaks for itself. These are cinematic language tools, and they matter," she posted.
"So the real question is: why are folks quicker to assume deception than to believe someone speaking out with everything to lose?"
Harris later went on to make it known that she "went to the top film school in the country, made work that screened at Sundance, is on HBO, and won a DGA award."
"I knew calling this out could cost me, but I did it (because) the alternative, to stay quiet, would hurt even more."
Harris would ultimately emphasize that "The GoFundMe was the *last* part of the tweet. And yet, people jumped to call me deceptive instead of just seeing a filmmaker asking for support. This is why so many stay silent."
"This was never about a GoFundMe or clout," she emphasized. "If anything, speaking out has put me at risk.
"But I care deeply about my work and the work of other emerging artists with whom I collaborate, that often get overlooked."
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