About

Dir Hasan Hadi | Iraq, USA, Qatar | 2025 | 105 mins | Rated 12A | Arabic

A moving drama set in 1990s Iraq under Saddam Hussein's regime. Nine-year-old Lamia, a student in a rural marshland school, is selected by lottery to bake a cake for the President's mandatory birthday celebration. It's a task fraught with danger, as failure could mean severe punishment. With basic ingredients nearly impossible to find due to international sanctions, Lamia embarks on a desperate quest through a landscape of fear and deprivation. Her journey reveals the harsh realities of life under dictatorship, the resilience of childhood, and the absurdity of forced loyalty, all while highlighting the human cost of political oppression.

Starring Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem

AWARDS AND FESTIVALS
Cannes Film Festival: Winner, 2 awards inc Golden Camera
Hamptons International Film Festival: Winner, 2 awards inc Narrative Feature
Stockholm Film Festival: Winner, Best Directorial Debut; Nominee, Best Film
Athens International Film Festival: Winner, Audience Award; Nominee, Best Picture
Santa Fe International Film Festival: Winner, Audience Choice Award
CineFest - Miskolc International Film Festival: Winner, 3 awards inc Jury Prize; Nominee, Best Feature Film

REVIEWS
"There's a terrific charm and sweetness in this debut from Iraqi film-maker Hasan Hadi." ★★★★ Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian

"It's a testament to Nayyef's ingenuous performance and the mesmerising sense of place that the film is always compelling and sometimes bleakly funny..." ★★★★ Kevin Maher, The Times

"... the small, grave face of Nayyef — who has never acted before, and gives a great performance — provides the soul of the film." ★★★★ Danny Leigh, Financial Times

"... a sharply observed, bittersweet, child's-eye odyssey that avoids cute-kid cliches." Wendy Ide, The Observer