The President's Cake

It’s 1990 in Iraq, and under the iron fist of Saddam Hussein extreme poverty is on the rise. Despite the circumstances, it’s still mandatory that all Iraqis celebrate the president’s birthday. An unlucky classroom draw finds nine-year-old Lamia given the unenviable task of baking the birthday cake for her class. Accompanied by grandmother, Lamia departs her home in the marshes for the big city, to procure the ingredients for the dreaded cake. Beautifully shot and acted, and with a keen sense of time and place, this film makes for an exhilarating adventure.