Monday 18th May
10am, 6.30pm
Drama
Director – Hasan Hadi
Iraq
105 mins
The President’s Cake is a tender yet harrowing portrayal of childhood survival under Saddam Hussein’s brutal regime. Filmed on location in Iraq, the film features remarkable performances from a predominantly amateur cast.
The film follows nine-year-old Lamia on a dangerous quest to bake a birthday cake for Saddam Hussein. First time director, Hasan Hadi, has been praised for the immense tenderness and emotional depth of the film and the stunning, gritty location shots.
Astonishing: this film finds tenderness in wartime. – Bianca Farmakis, The Australian
You will laugh, then immediately feel uneasy for having laughed. That tension is the film’s strength: it refuses to let humour soften the violence of the system that produces it. –
James Murphy, The Scoop
