THE PRESIDENT’S CAKE (BFI LONDON FILM FESTIVAL)

In 1990s Iraq, 9-year-old Lamia must bake the President's birthday cake. She scrambles to find ingredients for this compulsory task while facing potential punishment if she fails.

The President’s Cake, Hasan Hadi

The President’s Cake (2025) follows Lamiya, a young girl growing up in Iraq in the 1990s, a country scarred by Western intervention and war. Living with her grandmother Bibi and her loyal cockerel Hindi, Lamia is tasked with baking a cake for the president. 

The film captures the sadness of a childhood shaped by instability, with dreamlike scenes by the river and in car journeys to the city. While tender and beautifully shot, it disappointingly leans on the familiar image of dictatorship in the Middle East. The U.S. invasion, and western responsibility for Iraq’s suffering are only faintly acknowledged, leaving the blame squarely at the door of “the Arabs”, and making the film feel less authentic.

★ ★

Release Date: October 13th 2025 (LFF)
Director(s): Hasan Hadi
Written: Hasan Hadi
Producers: Leah Chen Baker
Starring: Baneen Ahmed Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohammad Qasem
Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
Runtime: 105 minutes