The President's Cake
Monday 18 May 2026
- Duration: 105 mins
Language: Arabic with English subtitles
| Monday 18 May
8pm |
Book Now |
Accessible / wheelchair seats must be booked through Box Office on 01 272 4030.
1990s. International sanctions against Iraq have resulted in soaring prices, food shortages and hardship for most citizens . Despite this, Saddam Hussein declares that every Iraqi must mark his birthday with a cake. Nine-year-old Lamia is selected in a lottery at school for the “honour” of making her class’ cake . Accompanied by her grandmother Bibi and pet rooster Hindi, Lamia must travel from their remote village to the city to source the precious ingredients.
Told from a child’s viewpoint and using largely non-professional actors, Hadi’s impressive first feature uses a simple story that mixes moments of drama and comedy to provide a poignant snap-shot of life under this politically oppressed regime. The President’s Cake is a charming and bitter-sweet crowd-pleaser.
Festivals:
Cannes Film Festival 2025
Toronto International Film Festival 2025
San Sebastián International Film Festival 2025
BFI London Film Festival 2025
Awards:
Winner- Caméra d’Or, Cannes Film Festival 2025
Iraq’s entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the 2026 Academy Awards
‘...The President’s Cake highlights a promising independent voice in Middle Eastern cinema. Hadi manages to walk the fine line between excessive melodrama and the harsh realities of day - to - day life in Iraq around the turn-of-the-century...’
★★★★★ Asian Movie Pulse
‘The President’s Cake is a fiercely powerful work of cinema. By framing the corruption and poverty of Hussein’s oppressive reign through the lens of a childhood adventure, Hadi creates something that is as whimsical as it is devastating.’
★★★★ The Upcoming
