The President’s Cake (مملكة القصب)

As people across 1990’s Iraq struggle to survive, 9-year old Lamia has been selected to prepare a cake to celebrate the president’s birthday. In a landscape of fear and scarcity, where basic ingredients are nearly impossible to find, she sets out on a determined journey throughout the big city in search of eggs, flour, and sugar. Accompanied by her grandmother, her loyal friend Saeed, and her pet rooster Hindi, Lamia navigates vendors and police officers along the way.

Selected as the Iraqi entry for Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards and winner of the Camera D’Or and Audience Award at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, The President’s Cake embodies innocence, imagination, and inner strength.