The President's Cake
12A | Iraq | 2025 | Arabic, subtitled
Director: Hasan Hadi
Date Shown: Friday 11 September 2026
In 1990s Iraq, a young girl is unexpectedly given the daunting task of baking a birthday cake for Saddam Hussein. Accompanied by her grandmother and her best friend, she embarks on a journey across a society shaped by fear, shortages and quiet acts of resistance. Blending humour, suspense and warmth, this coming-of-age tale offers a vivid portrait of ordinary life under dictatorship.
There’s a terrific charm and sweetness in this debut from Iraqi film–maker Hasan Hadi. -
Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian(a) warm and heart–tugging tale -
Tomris Laffly, Variety
