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🎬 A Rising Career in Film and Television
Rather than relying on her family’s public profile, Malia has steadily built a career through hands-on work, focusing on writing and directing. She began gaining experience early on, working as a production assistant on the set of Halle Berry’s TV series Extant and as an intern on the New York set of HBO’s Girls .
She then transitioned into a professional writing role, contributing to the acclaimed Prime Video series Swarm, created by Donald Glover and Janine Nabers . Her work was well-received; Glover described her as a professional and talented writer, while showrunner Janine Nabers emphasized she was given the opportunity to see if television writing was something she wanted to pursue .
🎞️ From Writer to Director
Her directorial debut came with the short film The Heart. The project debuted at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival in early 2024 and later screened at other major festivals, including Telluride and the Toronto International Film Festival . In September 2024, The Heart was awarded the inaugural “Young Spirit Award” at the Deauville American Film Festival in France . Describing the 18-minute film, Malia said it is, “an odd little story, somewhat of a fable, about a man grieving the death of his mother after she leaves him an unusual request in her will” . It explores themes of “lost objects and lonely people and forgiveness and regret” .
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