The President's Cake - MAMLAKET AL-QASAB

Pitch

In Saddam Hussein's Iraq, nine-year-old Lamia is given the daunting task of baking a cake to celebrate the president's birthday. Her life is turned upside down when she sets off, accompanied by her friend Saeed, to find the expensive, rare ingredients needed to make this pastry. “I’m not interested in films with a message or activist works that push forward certain political ideas. Even though it’s very tempting and the subject matter could easily lead to a politically engaged film, that’s not what I do, nor what I’m trying to do. What matters to me is revealing authentic human emotions, intimate struggles, connections between people, real life experiences. For this film, I really tried to avoid any overtly political message. My aim was to portray characters and a period of Iraqi history that have never been depicted before.” Hasan Hadi