As deceptively delightful as its title sounds, The President’s Cake is one of the most perfect films I have ever watched in my life. I genuinely cannot critique it — watching it felt like magic. I don’t know exactly what worked in this film, only that everything did, on every level. This is a movie that deserves to be seen by people all around the world — in cinemas, in communities, in classrooms — it should be required viewing. I would even hope that political parties could screen it, if that were possible, so leaders might gain a reality check about power, scarcity, and human dignity.
This film doesn’t just stay with you — it reopens something inside you. Watching 9 year old Lamia feels like touching an old wound you thought had healed. It’s like a small cut on your finger: you ignore it during the day, cover it at night, and forget it — until one day you peel off the bandage and the blood begins to ooze again. The President’s Cake does exactly that: it peels away layers of denial, forcing you to confront pain you never fully acknowledged.
Lamia and Saeed are friends, yet they stand on different lines of understanding and perception. Both know the cruelty of the world around them, yet both cling — desperately — to belief, to hope that life might somehow change. As a viewer, you want to protect them, but you cannot. The director’s stark realism pulls you into their world as an invisible, helpless witness — making you smile, ache, cry, rage, and sometimes silently scream as you watch them fall, rise, and fall again.
At its core, The President’s Cake isn’t about morality — it’s about survival, leaving a sting in the throat and tears you don’t quite expect.
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Set against the grotesque absurdity of Saddam Hussein’s cult of personality — where his birthday was treated like a national festival and participation was mandatory regardless of hunger or poverty — the film exposes the chilling reality of authoritarian power. People may have no food, no water, no dignity, yet celebration is non-negotiable. Damn the cost. Damn the lives.
When Lamia is “chosen” in a classroom draw to fetch the President’s cake, it feels less like an honor and more like a lightning strike. What follows is a quietly epic journey undertaken by Lamia, her spirited grandmother Bibi, and their rooster Hindi as they set out from their village toward harsher terrain and deeper uncertainty. What should have been a simple errand evolves into a life-altering odyssey — a trek through bustling markets, oppressive checkpoints, hunger, indignity, corruption, and compassion interwoven with cruelty. Each obstacle reshapes Lamia, drawing her into moral compromise and hard choices.
Along the way, they encounter a humble taxi driver who is also a postman — almost god-sent in his presence — offering fleeting warmth, dignity, and a reminder that even in the most brutal systems, humanity still flickers. He stands as a quiet anchor in a world that seems intent on eroding everything pure.
One of the film’s most haunting moments arrives near the end, when Lamia is urged to row into the water and look at her reflection. The ending breaks your heart all over again.
The performances in The President’s Cake are nothing short of extraordinary. Lamia, Saeed, Bibi, and the postman deliver acting that deserves applause, recognition, and awards. Their faces carry history, fear, resilience, and unspoken grief with devastating honesty that lingers long after the credits roll.
Written and directed by Hasan Hadi in a remarkable feature debut, the film showcases the vision of a filmmaker with rare empathy and courage. His direction is restrained yet deeply affecting — never manipulative, always authentic. His work here stands among the most impactful first features in years, and he is already being celebrated internationally for his accomplishment.
Festival Journey and Release
The President’s Cake had its world premiere at the Directors’ Fortnight at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, where it became the first Iraqi film ever to compete and won both the Caméra d’Or and the Directors’ Fortnight Audience Award — a historic moment for Iraqi cinema.
After Cannes, the film traveled the international festival circuit, including screenings at Sydney, Melbourne, Calgary, and other major festivals throughout 2025. It later made the December shortlist for Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards (Oscars), marking another milestone for Iraqi cinema.
Sony Pictures Classics acquired distribution rights and announced that The President’s Cake will open inselect U.S. theaters on February 6, 2026, followed by a nationwide expansion on February 27, 2026, giving wider audiences the chance to experience this unforgettable film.
This is not just a film.
It is a mirror, an ache, and a testament to human endurance and hope.
Anyone who loves cinema, humanity, and truth should see it.