The President's Cake

Plot

While people across 1990’s Iraq struggle to survive, 9-year-old Lamia has been selected to prepare a cake to celebrate the President’s birthday. In a landscape of fear and scarcity, where basic ingredients are nearly impossible to find, Lamia sets out on a determined journey throughout the big city in search of eggs, flour, and sugar. Accompanied by her grandmother, her loyal friend Saeed, and her pet rooster Hindi, she navigates vendors and police officers along the way.

About The President's Cake

The President's Cake (Arabic: مملكة القصب[needs translation]) is a 2025 Arabic-language drama film written and directed by Hasan Hadi. Set in rural Iraq during the Gulf War, it follows the nine-year-old Lamia (Baneen Ahmad Nayyef), who is chosen to bake a cake to celebrate Saddam Hussein's birthday alongside her classmates. The film had its world premiere at the Directors' Fortnight section of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival on 16 May, where it won the section's Audience Award and the Caméra d'Or. It was selected as the Iraqi entry for Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards, making the December shortlist. It was released theatrically in the United States by Sony Pictures Classics on 6 February 2026.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

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