Original title: Mamlaket al-qasab
Iraq/Qatatr/USA • Drama • 2025 • Running Time: 105min
Language: Arabic
Synopsis:
While people across 1990’s Iraq struggle to survive, 9-year old Lamia has been selected by her teacher to prepare a cake to celebrate the President’s birthday. In a landscape of fear and scarcity, where basic ingredients are nearly impossible to find, Lamia sets out on a determined journey throughout the big city in search of eggs, flour, and sugar. Accompanied by her grandmother, her loyal friend Saeed, and her pet rooster Hindi, she navigates vendors and police officers along the way.
This is an impressive first feature from the writer-director Hasan Hadi, a sharply observed, bittersweet, child’s-eye odyssey that avoids cute-kid cliches.
Wendy Ide (Observer)
Director: Hasan Hadi
Writer: Hasan Hadi
Main Cast:
(for a full cast list, additional technical information and reviews, please visit The President’s Cake pages in IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes