THE PRESIDENT’S CAKE

While people struggle daily to survive under sanctions in Saddam's Iraq, nine-year-old Lamia must use her wits to gather ingredients for the mandatory cake to celebrate President Saddam Hussein's birthday or face the consequences – prison or death.

The extraordinary magical realist drama The President’s Cake is the feature film debut of Iraqi-born Sundance Lab fellow Hasan Hadi. A US co-production, the gorgeously composed film was shot on location in Baghdad and immediately upon its world premiere made a splash, with unanimous praise towards its performances, aesthetics and humanist touch. The President’s Cake is the first-ever Iraqi film to play in Cannes: it’s one of the festival’s biggest talking-points, was rightfully awarded both the prestigious Camera d'Or for best feature film debut and the Audience Award, and could very likely become Iraq’s first Oscars contender.

Original title: مملكة القصب
Director: Hasan Hadi
Country: Iraq, USA, Qatar
Language: Arabian
Running time: 102 min
Genre: Drama
Year: 2025