Barack Obama's daughter Malia Ann makes a successful directorial debut with 'The Heart'

[{"selector":"#anim-776bbf67-cc80-4206-8ac7-b36d84754514","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(115.23810%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-f2753340-05da-4366-a82a-e9beb12d2470","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-80043592-fb98-4aa2-80be-d36ebfdffac7","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(0.15)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"forwards"}] Barack Obama's daughter Malia Ann makes a successful directorial debut with 'The Heart'

[{"selector":"#anim-762f7872-817c-4582-9ada-d0dd469e689d","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(115.23810%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-ce2b1353-463b-4acd-b440-ab99aa19e7b5","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-9a20f68f-88ce-4311-9833-1b844383c819","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(0.15)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"forwards"}] The Heart, a short film directed by Malia Obama, is an odd little work. Now in its 40th year, the Sundance Film Festival offers plenty of opportunity for actors who want to become directors, making it a rather suitable platform for aspiring filmmakers.

[{"selector":"#anim-784e2dc1-5883-4b96-b714-05d288a4c6e0","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(120.00000%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-fd93eda1-25cb-4386-9962-2eb9fe976685","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-2215e2f0-9aac-4787-bf86-b2241cf6dafe","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(0.15)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"forwards"}] A couple of names to start that discourse this year are Jesse Eisenberg and Lucy Lawless.

[{"selector":"#anim-ca04dc6a-bf65-4259-b46e-6f61e5d5826f","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(116.19048%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-ab242c98-d1a0-4a16-afee-aad7a966d9a9","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-f567ce62-ba1a-4c6b-a894-e1fd23a14667","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(0.15)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"forwards"}] Obama can't play in that league. Obama is the 25-year-old daughter of First Lady Michelle Obama and former US President Barack Obama.

[{"selector":"#anim-135c831f-143b-4aab-9fa2-a00fea35f03d","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(118.41270%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-4fdb4aad-2884-4dae-a4f4-f5cc9c927742","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-9d61ff4c-735c-499b-9f0b-1eb29076566f","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(0.15)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"forwards"}] She has previously interned at the Weinstein Company and on the HBO series Girls in addition to working with the writing team of Swarm.

[{"selector":"#anim-2eefbda1-4851-4303-9998-404e56e3d102","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(115.87301%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-93bb78a8-1703-4033-b6d5-4f3af5baf20c","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-cb2af8c6-873c-4557-a42c-8bcadba53db4","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(0.15)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"forwards"}] The Heart quickly jumps out in the short film genre because of its striking style and subdued thematic focus.

[{"selector":"#anim-cd43f979-0e57-4fb3-909a-51dae4fc0555","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(116.50794%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-98f4f7a6-c80e-4b2c-b6e8-77a33f5d1a68","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-60784e69-e13d-442f-89dd-c57ef66e7aed","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(0.15)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"forwards"}] Her film, which is credited to her under her middle name Malia Ann, centers on Joshua (Tunde Adebimpe), a solitary guy who lives a lonely existence with his mother (LaTonya Borsay).

[{"selector":"#anim-eaa73b5c-e0f8-412c-9f28-00f90f1ae58e","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(118.41270%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-671893bc-4539-449d-9f69-76b8235e94a7","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-dafc34e9-3060-4035-aafc-9268fd879ee5","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(0.15)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"forwards"}] Their relationship isn't discussed often, but one lovely evening they have dinner together in front of the TV in silence.

[{"selector":"#anim-5c74d7e2-7cd9-4ebd-a717-a149db8bfbae","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(116.19048%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-0652abc7-821e-45ba-8388-48d97e77b8c4","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-dd1db388-3d8b-4da3-9e36-7ed5326ef579","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(0.15)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"forwards"}] When he's finished, he heads upstairs for a shower. His mother is about to have a heart attack that will kill her in the next few minutes.