Iraq, USA, Qatar
Hasan Hadi
While people across 1990s Iraq struggle to survive the war and food shortages, Saddam Hussein requires each school in the country to prepare a cake to celebrate his birthday. Despite her efforts to avoid getting picked, 9-year-old Lamia is chosen among her classmates. The young girl must now use her wits and imagination to gather ingredients for the mandatory cake, or face the consequences.
Hasan Hadi is an Iraqi writer/director. Hasan grew up in southern Iraq, during wartime. He 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, SFFILM Rainin Grant, and Doha Film Institute Grant for his feature debut, THE PRESIDENT’S CAKE.
