The President’s Cake

Witty, playful, and profoundly moving, The President’s Cake is a story of struggle and survival under Saddam Hussein’s sanctioned Iraq. Though the country is suffering massive food shortages, a decree is sent across the nation: the President requires a cake from every school to celebrate his birthday. Despite desperately trying not to be chosen, unlucky nine-year-old Lamia is selected for baking duty, even though she’s too poor to afford the ingredients.

Setting out on a daylong odyssey from her provincial home to a nearby town with her beloved rooster Hindi in tow, Lamia is forced to use her imagination and get creative as she attempts to whip up the obligatory confection. With a keen eye for period detail and a winning performance from newcomer Baneen Ahmed Nayyef as Lamia, The President’s Cake offers an astonishing child’s-eye view of the hardships of living in 1990s Iraq.