The President's Cake
Directed by Hasan Hadi
Written by Hasan Hadi
Starring Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
2025 | Drama | 1h 45m | Iraq, Qatar, United States
The President’s Cake, set in the marshlands of Iraq, won two awards at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, and has been featured at Sydney Film Festival, Melbourne International Film Festival, BFI London Film Festival, and Mill Valley Film Festival.
In 2013 Iraqi engineer Azzam Alwash received the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize for his activist work in restoring the legendary marshlands of southern Iraq. In 2016 the restored wetlands of Iraq were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
According to the Guardian in 2013:
“The vast Mesoptomian marshes in southern Iraq were said to be the site of the original Garden of Eden. On their fringes have risen and fallen 12,000 years of Sumerian, Assyrian, Chaldean, Persian and Arab civilisations. Organised farming is thought to have begun here, as did the first cities and writing. In legend, Gilgamesh fell asleep on the water side and let slip from his fingers the plant of eternal youth. Abraham was said to have been born here and explorers like Sir Wilfred Thesiger made their name here.”
The President’s Cake is part drama and part history, telling the story of the Marsh people through a day in the life of one family during the time of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. At the time of this poignant film, the marshlands are intact still, have not been drained and destroyed by Hussein; and the focus is on the mandatory practice of preparing cakes for the president’s birthday.
In his directorial debut, Hasan Hadi captivates us with portraits of marsh Arabs who live in reed huts and travel the unique wetland waters in small canoes, as they have done for centuries.
Baneen Ahmad Neyyef enchants as nine year old Lamia, who lives with her beloved grandmother. Rushing to school late one morning she asks her grandmother Bibi if she may skip her prayers. Played by Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Bibi says no, quietly but firmly. With few words, Khreibat conveys she is the rock upon which Lamia’s life thrives.
Book bag firmly fixed to her back, Lamia rushes to the canoe and glides herself to the dock near her school. The teacher chastises her and points out they all have a duty to obey the rules and be on time. Later her classmate Saeed comforts her; this mischievous boy is played perfectly by Sajad Mohamad Qasem. Although opposites in behavior, the two youngsters understand each other without words. Their interplay and tacit scheming are highlights of the film.
As children’s names are drawn from a small canister, Lamia finds she has received the assignment of baking a cake for the president’s birthday. Failure to fulfill a duty is punishable, the teacher assures her and other students whose names have been drawn for other duties.
How to find flour, eggs and sugar to bake a cake for the President? Her grandmother sighs and then puts a few valuables in her cloak. They take a canoe to the landing and then hitchhike to the market town.
Here the atmosphere is different. Cars, trucks, soldiers checking ID, and then a marketplace filled with vendors who have no interest in the challenges faced by a grandmother and her beloved Lamia. And now the adventure really begins. Bibi and Lamia search for vendors who will barter. Saeed also is in town looking for his father. At a certain point Lamia and Saeed meet up.
Viewers will hang onto every moment, from the tranquility of the marshes to the cacophony of the marketplace.
This film warms the heart even as the viewer gasps at obstacles encountered by the children. With no money they’re racing against time to find flour, sugar, eggs and baking powder for the cake Lamia must bake and take to school, so the family will not be punished. Separated by a misunderstanding, Bibi is relentless in demanding the local police help her find Lamia, and the police only want to focus on the ceremonies around the President’s birthday.
Viewers will hang onto every moment, from the tranquility of the marshes to the cacophony of the marketplace. Casting is perfect. Cinematography recalls and highlights the timeless haunting beauty of this way of life.
Outside the scope of this film, Saddam Hussein later devastates this culture by draining the marshlands. When he is overthrown, an Iraqi engineer begins the massive project of rebuilding the wetlands, which are now a World Heritage Site.
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