Screening of Iraqi Film “The President’s Cake”

The Arab Gulf States Institute is pleased to present a screening of the Iraqi film “The President’s Cake.” The screening will be introduced by National Museum of Asian Art Curator of Film Tom Vick and followed by a conversation between AGSI Senior Resident Scholar and Director of the Iraq Program Abbas Kadhim and leading Iraqi media and arts expert Shameem Rassam. A short reception will follow.

“The President’s Cake” is the first Iraqi film to compete in the Cannes Film Festival’s prestigious Directors’ Fortnight section, winning both the competition’s top prize and audience award. Set in the 1990s during the rule of Saddam Hussein, this charming tragicomedy follows 9-year-old Lamia, who is assigned by her teacher the task of making a cake – the one Iraqis were required to make for Saddam Hussein’s birthday. Lamia sets off on a picaresque journey to beg for, borrow, or steal the ingredients she needs and, in the process, meets a cross section of her country’s population, all of whom are trying their best to make the best of difficult times. “The President’s Cake offers an astute, poignant story of empathy for humanity caught in the crosshairs,” Diane Carson wrote for the Alliance of Women Film Journalists.

Director: Hasan Hadi. Countries: Iraq, Qatar, United States. Released: 2025. Length: 105 min. Format: DCP. Language: Arabic (Iraqi Dialect) with English subtitles.

Film admission policy: Films are shown in the 300-seat Meyer Auditorium. Preregistration (up to four tickets per person per film) is encouraged but not required. Seating is available on a first come, first served basis for patrons without tickets.

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