The President's Cake

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The President's Cake

PG-13

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1h 45m

Drama

History

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99%

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77 Reviews

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Fewer than 50 Ratings

While people across 1990's Iraq struggle to survive, 9-year old Lamia has been selected 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.

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Critics Consensus

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.

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Sandra Hall

The Age (Australia)

21h

4/5

It’s certainly not a tragedy yet Hadi is too much of a realist to deliver a happy ending and he finishes on a note of sadness. But you’re still left with great faith in Lamia and Saeed’s ability to make their way in the world, no matter what lies ahead.

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Maxwell Rabb

Chicago Reader

Mar 9

The President’s Cake is carried by the remarkable performances of its predominantly amateur cast, especially its child actors.

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Barry Hertz

Globe and Mail

Feb 26

Shot entirely in the director’s home country with a largely amateur, untrained cast, the film blends a striking sense of street-level realism, political commentary and poetic nostalgia for the naive innocence of youth.

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Jim Schembri

jimschembri.com

1d

4/5

Given the grim nature of Lamia’s thorny traverse through a hostile terrain, Hadi nonetheless weaves in ironic moments of visual beauty and long takes. He clearly loves shooting widescreen and certainly knows how to deliver a truly memorable finale.

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Andiee Paviour

Nobody's Reading This But Me

1d

4/5

Every minute seems siphoned from life in an unhinged and obliterative world.

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Annette Basile

FILMINK (Australia)

Mar 26

18/20

Sometimes cinema can transport you to another time and place so effectively that it’s almost better than travelling. The President’s Cake has this transportive quality.

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Emma

Mar 5

Could have been an hour long. The good thing it shows how terrible lives are under these dictators.

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Joanne S

Feb 27

An intimate experience of Iraq under Saddam Husseins rule. Told from the perspective of two young schoolchildren, this film is heartwarming and heartbreaking.

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Matt

Feb 18

Outstanding film. The young girl was so talented I was shocked to hear it was her first film. It was both heartwarming and devastating. The rooster did a great job too.

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Stan W

@StanWiz 4h

Said so much, while preaching so little. A beautiful film about a horrible reality.

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Stephen C

@bob25009 5d

The worldwide gross is $2,000,000.00.

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Chris V

@ZP170 Mar 25

Think your existence is difficult ? Take another look through the eyes of a 9 year old Iraqi girl. Living with her grandmother Bibi ( we learn her father has died ) and her pet rooster Hindi. Selected for the " honour " of preparing a birthday cake to celebrate Saddam Hussein’s birthday the story details the trials and tribulations of life in 1990’s Iraq. Amazing acting performances by all the cast but in particular the child actors

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Hasan Hadi

Director

Baneen Ahmad Nayyef

Lamia

Sajad Mohamad Qasem

Saeed

Waheed Thabet Khreibat

Bibi

Rahim AlHaj

Jasim

Muthanna Malaghi

Muthanna

The President's Cake: Teaser Trailer

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Synopsis

While people across 1990's Iraq struggle to survive, 9-year old Lamia has been selected 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.

Director: Hasan Hadi
Producer: Leah Chen Baker
Screenwriter: Hasan Hadi, Eric Roth
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co: TPC Film
Rating: PG-13 (Strong Language|Some Suggestive Material|Smoking)
Genre: Drama, History
Original Language: Arabic
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 6, 2026, Limited
Box Office (Gross USA): $214.0K
Runtime: 1h 45m
Aspect Ratio: Digital 2.39:1