The President's Cake

A quiet, crushing child's-eye journey through fear and scarcity that builds to a devastating, tender gut-punch.

Directed by

Hasan Hadi

Genres

Drama

Starring

Baneen Ahmed Nayyef, Sajad Mohamad Qasem, Waheed Thabet Khreibat

Overview

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.

How it feels

Slow-burning and demanding.

About

Survival, family, grief, isolation

Content

Mild violence, sexual content and language. No gore.

Note

Written by AI, so it can be wrong. Full breakdown

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Watch the trailer on YouTube (opens in a new tab)