The President's Cake
Mamlaket al-qasab
Iraq, Estados Unidos, Catar, 2025.
Directed by: Hasan Hadi.
Hasan Hadi is an Iraqi director and screenwriter. He gained international recognition at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, where he won the Caméra d'Or for Best First Feature and the Audience Award in the Filmmakers' Fortnight. He is a fellow of the Sundance Institute and has received support from the Doha Film Institute and SFFILM.
Cast: Sajad Mohamad Qasem, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Baneen Ahmad Nayyef.
Running time: 105 min.
Synopsis
In 1990s Iraq, 9-year-old Lamia must navigate the brutal reality of sanctions to find ingredients for a mandatory cake to celebrate Saddam Hussein’s birthday. Winner of the Caméra d'Or at Cannes, this tragicomic odyssey captures childhood innocence under an authoritarian regime, echoing the works of Kiarostami and Panahi.
In 1990s Iraq, 9-year-old Lamia must navigate the brutal reality of sanctions to find ingredients for a mandatory cake to celebrate Saddam Hussein's...