23rd edition November 20th to 28th, 2026
23rd edition
20 to 28 November, 2026
Iraqi writer and director Hasan Hadi grew up in southern Iraq during wartime. Over the years, he has worked in journalism, film production, and as an adjunct professor in New York University's Graduate Film Program. He has received the Gotham-Marcie Bloom Fellowship, the Black Family Production Prize, and the Sloan Foundation Production Award. He is a 2022 Sundance Lab Fellow and the recipient of the 2022 Sundance/NHK Award, an SFFILM Rainin Grant, and a grant from the Doha Film Institute. The President's Cake had its premiere in the Directors’ Fortnight at the Festival de Cannes, where it was awarded the Caméra d’or.
In the 1990s, while people throughout Iraq struggle to survive the war and food shortages, Saddam Hussein requires that each school in the country prepare a cake to celebrate his birthday. Despite her efforts to avoid being chosen for the task, nine-year-old Lamia is picked from among her classmates. Now, she must use her wits and imagination to gather ingredients for the mandatory cake—or face the consequences.
Director Hasan Hadi
Producer Leah Chen Baker
Screenwriter Hasan Hadi
Cinematographer Tudor Vladimir Panduru
Production Designer Annmarie Tecu
Editor Andu Radu
Sound Tamas Zanyi
Production Company TPC Film LLC
International Sales Company Films Boutique
Distributor Film Clinic