The President’s Cake

Selection

Fiction, director: Hasan Hadi, Iraq/Qatar/USA, 2025, 103 min, AR, with EN st.

• > Monday, 27 April 2026 · 19:00 | City Kino Wedding |

Lamia, a nine-year-old Iraqi girl, finds herself obliged to bake a birthday cake in honor of the president, Saddam Hussein. Just another ordinary day in Iraq in the 1990s, Lamia goes on a journey to find the ingredients, fearing, alongside her family, the potential consequences of her failure.

The President’s Cake paints a picture of everyday life under a dictator and economic siege. Through the eyes of Lamia, accompanied by her friend Saed and her rooster Hindi, we gather much more than flour, sugar and eggs.

The film won the prestigious Camera D’or award at the Cannes Film Festival 2025 and made it onto the Oscars’ short list for best international films. (HF)