The President’s Cake, the first Iraqi film to screen at Cannes, has won the inaugural People’s Choice Audience Award at the Directors’ Fortnight — a prize open to all international entries. The film, directed by Hasan Hadi and described by Variety as a “warm and heart-tugging tale,” marks a significant milestone for Iraqi cinema on the global stage.
Set in 1990s southern Iraq during a time of sanctions and food shortages, the film follows nine-year-old Lamia (Baneen Ahmed Nayyef) on a mission to bake a birthday cake for Saddam Hussein. Her journey, joined by her best friend Saeed (Sajad Mohamad Qasem), leads through the Mesopotamian marshes to the nearest city in search of ingredients. Critics have praised the film’s rich detail and emotional depth, calling it a potential arthouse breakout.
Produced by U.S.-Iraq-Qatar partners, including A Maiden Voyage Pictures and Missing Piece, the film boasts an impressive list of executive producers such as Eric Roth (Forrest Gump), Chris Columbus, and Marielle Heller (Diary of a Teenage Girl). It is being sold internationally by Films Boutique.
“I wanted to shoot this film in Iraq to show the country in a way people haven’t seen before,” Hadi told Variety.
Meanwhile, Belgian director Valéry Carnoy also emerged as a standout at the Directors’ Fortnight, winning both the SACD Coup de Coeur des Auteurs and the Europa Cinemas Label awards for Wild Foxes. The film, about a young boxer whose confidence unravels after an injury, was praised for its honest portrayal of masculinity and youth.
“Wild Foxes avoids sports drama clichés and delivers a moving exploration of male friendship and vulnerability,” the Europa Cinemas jury noted.
Produced by Belgium’s Hélicotronc and France’s Les Films du Poisson, Wild Foxes marks Carnoy’s feature debut, building on acclaim for his short film Ma planète.
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