A tenderly crafted, often devastating portrait of childhood in rural Iraq, The President's Cake vividly brings to life its morally complex world through richly drawn characters and intimate storytelling.
While people struggle daily to survive under sanctions in Saddam’s Iraq, nine-year-old Lamia must use her wits to gather ingredients for the mandatory cake to celebrate President Saddam Hussein’s birthday or face the consequences—prison or death. A touching coming-of-age tale that combines empathy, pragmatism, universally relatable characters, and striking cinematography. [105 min; drama; Arabic with English subtitles]
"It’s difficult to think of another debut that combines such crowd-pleasing sensibilities, political resonance, and cinematic sweep." — Rory O'Connor, The Film Stage
"From the pastoral beauty of its opening sequence to the gut punch of its last, Hadi’s film is an exceptional screen debut, as perceptive as it is kinetic and, with one eye on the bombers overhead, brimming with life." — Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter
"The President’s Cake is carried by the remarkable performances of its predominantly amateur cast, especially its child actors." — Maxwell Rabb, Chicago Reader
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