Iraq in the 1990s: Saddam Hussein has decreed that his birthday be celebrated throughout the country. Nine-year-old Lamia tries everything in her power to stay away from class as they hand out associated assignments. Alas, her efforts prove in vain as she ultimately draws the dreaded straw: she must bring a birthday cake to school. A seemingly impossible task in light of rampant food shortages. Since disobeying the dictator’s orders would have drastic consequences, she sets off on a daring journey with her friend Saeed and the rooster Hindi to somehow find the ingredients.

What follows is an adventurous quest through a world full of uncertainty and deprivation, but also small miracles, as Lamia experiences moments of humour, friendship and hope.

“One of this year’s most exciting discoveries.” (www.rogerebert.com)

Hasan Hadi is an Iraqi writer and director, as well as an adjunct professor in the graduate film program at New York University. His awards include the Tisch Dean’s Fellowship, the Gotham-Marcie Bloom Fellowship, the Black Family Production Prize and the Sloan Foundation Production Award. He is a 2022 recipient of the Sundance Institute Screenwriting and Directing Fellowship. THE PRESIDENT’S CAKE is his feature-film debut.

Filmography: 2021 SWIMSUIT (short film), 2025 THE PRESIDENT’S CAKE

Awards (selection): Audience Award Directors’ Fortnight and Golden Camera (Cannes International Film Festival, France 2025), CICAE Jury Prize, FIPRESCI Prize and International Ecumenical Award (CineFest – Miskolc International Film Festival, Hungary 2025)