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The President's Cake 2025

Movie · 105 min · Mesopotamian Arabic · February 6, 2026

Drama

Directed by Hasan HadiWritten by Hasan Hadi

Starring Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Sajad Mohamad Qasem, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Rahim AlHaj, Maytham Mreidi

The President's Cake () represents a 2025 Arabic-language drama film crafted by Hasan Hadi as both writer and director. This production takes place in rural Iraq throughout the Gulf War period, centering on nine-year-old Lamia (Baneen Ahmad Nayyef) who gets selected along with her schoolmates to prepare a cake for Saddam Hussein's birthday celebration.

This cinematic work made its international debut at the Directors' Fortnight program of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival on 16 May, earning both the Audience Award and the Caméra d'Or within that section. The movie qualified as Iraq's submission for Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards, appearing among the December nominees. Sony Pictures Classics distributed this film in American theaters on 6 February 2026.

Cast

• BA
  Baneen Ahmad NayyefLamia
• SM
  Sajad Mohamad QasemSaeed
• WT
  Waheed Thabet KhreibatBibi
• 
  Rahim AlHajJasim
• MM
  Maytham MreidiSaeed's father
• AH
  Ahmad Hameed AhmadWatch Seller
• AA
  Aqeel Al-ShamriFlour Worker
• TI
  Tayseer Ibrahim RadiButcher
• NR
  Nadia RashakSaeed's mother

Crew

Director

Hasan Hadi

Writer

Hasan Hadi

Producer

Leah Chen Baker

Cinematography

Tudor Vladimir Panduru

Editing

Andu Radu

Details

Production

Maiden Voyage Pictures, Missing Piece Films, Spark Features, Working Barn Productions

Distributor

Film Clinic Indie Distribution (Iraq and Qatar), Sony Pictures Classics

Box office

$3 million

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