The President's Cake (Mamlaket al-qasab)

In the 1990s, under Saddam Hussein’s oppressive rule and crippling US sanctions, life in Iraq was very hard. Despite the war and food shortages, Saddam Hussein demands every school in the country to bake a cake to celebrate his birthday. The dubious honor falls to the 9-year-old Lamia. Together with her neighbor, Saeed, and her beloved rooster Hindi, Lamia begins to search for all the ingredients.

Director Hasan Hadi achieves a delicate balance between humor and drama in her feature film debut. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award and the Camera D’Or. ‘The President’s Cake’ is Iraq's official entry for the Oscars.