Special Screening and Reception - Must register online!

The National Museum of Asian Art presents The President’s Cake,
a charming tragicomedy from Iraq, followed by a panel discussion and free refreshments (featuring treats from Muncheez - great felafel)!

I was fortunate enough to see this film in the theater, and it is excellent! Will tug at your heartstrings. To reserve tickets, go to this link on Eventbrite. I'm sure it will fill up though they still take walkups.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIhlE3lfu6w
Co-presented with the Arab Gulf States Institute.

The first Iraqi film to compete in the Cannes Film Festival’s prestigious Directors Fortnight section, it won both the competition’s top prize and the audience award. Set in the 1990’s, during the reign of Saddam Hussein, this charming tragicomedy follows nine-year-old Lamia, who is assigned by her teacher the task of making the cake Iraqi’s were required to make for Saddam’s birthday. Lamia sets off on a picaresque journey to beg, borrow, or steal the ingredients she needs, in the process meeting a cross-section of her countries’ population, all of whom are trying their best to make the best of difficult times. “The President's Cake offers an astute, poignant story of empathy for humanity caught in the crosshairs,” writes Diane Carson for the Alliance of Women Film Journalists.

Directed by: Hasan Hadi. Countries: Iraq, Qatar, United States. Released: 2025. Length: 105 min. Format: DCP. Language: Arabic (Iraqi Dialect) with English subtitles.