NEXT SCREENING
North Bay Film presents:
The President's Cake
Wednesday, April 29th, at 7:00pm
Galaxy Cinemas North Bay
Film Info:
105 mins | 2025 | Iraq, Qatar, USA
Dir: Hasan Hadi
Language: Arabic
Synopsis:
Hasan Hadi’s The President’s Cake, a multiple award winner at Cannes, is a heartbreaking portrait of life in 1990s Iraq under Saddam Hussein. It follows young Lamia, who lives with her ailing grandmother in a remote village where survival is already a daily struggle. When Lamia is “honoured” with providing a cake for her class’s mandatory celebration of the dictator’s birthday, the task becomes dangerous. They cannot afford the ingredients, and the consequences of refusing are severe.
As Lamia sets out to complete her mission, she encounters a world shaped by scarcity and fear, where exploitation and cruelty have become the norm. Joined by a friend, she pushes forward with determination, only to face constant setbacks and moral compromise at every turn. Shot in a neorealist style, the film delivers a powerful look at the human cost of authoritarian rule and the quiet resilience of those forced to endure it.