Hasan Hadi’s tragicomic The President’s Cake follows young Lamia, who’s selected to provide the cake for her class’s mandated celebration of Saddam Hussein’s birthday, something she and her ailing grandmother can ill afford. The film details the relentless hardships brought about by poverty, international sanctions, and tyrannical leadership, as the pair’s wide-eyed determination and inventiveness is met only with disdain and contempt by their peers and neighbours.