The President's Cake

A tragic, intimate portrait of a child forced to navigate an impossible task under a brutal dictatorship, where a birthday cake becomes a symbol of survival and loss.

While people across 1990s Iraq struggle to survive the war and food shortages, Saddam Hussein requires each school in the country to prepare a cake to celebrate his birthday. Despite her efforts to avoid getting picked, 9-year-old Lamia is chosen among her classmates. The young girl must now use her wits and imagination to gather ingredients for the mandatory cake or face the consequences.