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The President's Cake

Play trailer Poster for The President's Cake 2025 1h 42m Drama History Play Trailer Watchlist
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While people across 1990s Iraq struggle to survive the war and food shortages, Saddam Hussein requires each school in the country to prepare a cake to celebrate his birthday. Despite her efforts to avoid getting picked, 9-year-old Lamia is chosen among her classmates. The young girl must now use her wits and imagination to gather ingredients for the mandatory cake or face the consequences.

Critics Reviews

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Isaac Feldberg RogerEbert.com This detail-rich and tremendously moving moral fable uncovers harsh realities in Iraqi society without departing from the earnest perspective of its knee-high protagonist, and without diminishing the dignity or value of her hopes and dreams. May 26, 2025 Full Review Sheri Linden The Hollywood Reporter 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. May 16, 2025 Full Review Ritesh Mehta IndieWire A case of relatively modest filmmaking that becomes rich because archetype and characterization coordinate the story world. In some stretches, though, the filmmaking and the narrative urgency fall a bit flat. Rated: B May 16, 2025 Full Review Rory O'Connor The Film Stage Amazingly, the film’s grace notes––its moments of levity, its filmic style (credit to DP Tudor Vladimir Panduru), its dark humor––detract little from its political bite. Jun 3, 2025 Full Review Wael Khairy The Cairo Scene Like the cake at the heart of the story, the film builds itself layer by layer.‘The President’s Cake’ is the strongest film from the region to premiere this year at Cannes. The film everyone should be talking about May 25, 2025 Full Review Ruben Peralta Rigaud Cocalecas A film about children who search for sugar, but discover truths. Who flee repression, but find themselves. Who dream of baking a cake, but learn to resist. [Full review in Spanish] May 20, 2025 Full Review Read all reviews

Cast & Crew

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Hasan Hadi

Director

Baneen Ahmad Nayyef

Actor

Sajad Mohamad Qasem

Actor

Waheed Thabet Khreibat

Actor

Rahim AlHaj

Actor

Hasan Hadi

Screenwriter
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Movie Info

Synopsis While people across 1990s Iraq struggle to survive the war and food shortages, Saddam Hussein requires each school in the country to prepare a cake to celebrate his birthday. Despite her efforts to avoid getting picked, 9-year-old Lamia is chosen among her classmates. The young girl must now use her wits and imagination to gather ingredients for the mandatory cake or face the consequences.
Director
Hasan Hadi
Producer
Leah Chen Baker
Screenwriter
Hasan Hadi, Eric Roth
Production Co
TPC Film
Genre
Drama, History
Original Language
Arabic
Runtime
1h 42m