Synopsis
Winner of the Caméra d'Or (Best first feature) at Cannes 2025 for director, Hasan Hadi, and the first Iraqi film CFS has shown. Hadi draws on his own childhood memories under Saddam Hussein’s regime in this moving and impactful film. He shows the harsh reality of life for the Iraqi people during the Gulf War through the perspective of two young school friends who support each other as they try to find their way in a corrupt and oppressive world they cannot yet understand.
9 year-old orphan Lamia’s mandatory task, under threat of punishment, is to collect the ingredients to provide her school class’s cake to celebrate Saddam Hussein’s 50th birthday. The shortages and harsh conditions of life in Iraq in 1991 under crippling UN sanctions and US bombing, mean that even basic foods are enormously expensive and almost impossible to find. Accompanied by her elderly grandmother, Bibi, and her pet rooster, Lamia travels from her home in the marshlands to the nearby city to search for the ingredients. Lamia soon realises Bibi has an ulterior reason for going. Running off, she encounters her friend, Saeed; teaming up with him as they set out in the bustling city on a series of mini-adventures fraught with difficulty and danger. The children encounter a succession of characters, some benign and helpful, but others willing to exploit the children for their own benefit.
The President’s Cake is a fascinating tale of love, friendship and the resilience of the Iraqi people. Location filming, music, beautiful cinematography and the natural and beguiling performance of the talented young actor Baneen Ahmed Nayyef as Lamia, bring this story to life. Avoiding sentimentality, Hadi seamlessly balances action, drama, humour and suspense in this poignant and captivating film, richly deserving of its Caméra d'Or and Cannes Audience Awards.
Language: Arabic with subtitles
Additional Info
Why Watch?
“In the tradition of Iran’s Asghar Farhadi and Jafar Panahi — filmmakers who make movies as if their lives depend on it — Iraqi writer/director Hasan Hadi sends from the Middle East a quiet contemplation of life under emotional and economic siege; and a reminder that in the end, human dignity will always assert itself, no matter what.” (Saturday Evening Post at the Toronto International Film Festival)
“A fascinating slice of life from rural Iraq, this warmly involving drama pulls us in with its vivid characters as they navigate a series of tricky situations.” (Shadows on the Wall)
Location
Cheltenham Film Society, Bacon Theatre, Hatherley Rd, Cheltenham, GL51 6EP
