The President's Cake

In the 1990s, the people of Iraq struggle to survive amid war and food shortages. Yet Saddam Hussein demands that every school in the country bake a cake to celebrate his birthday. Nine-year-old Lamia is tasked with bringing such a cake to school. She travels from the countryside to the city, searching for the necessary ingredients - in a world of crushing poverty.

Director Hasan Hadi sets his story against the backdrop of a society watched at every corner by the omnipresent Great Leader. Yet he manages to find moments of redemption in nearly every situation. The film has been widely praised by film critics around the world.