By Anne Brodie
The multi-festival award winning The President’s Cake (Mamlaket al-Qasab) is set in 1990 in the failing state of Iraq under Saddam Hussein’s dictatorship under UN-backed sanctions. Turmoil, constant government surveillance, fear of arrests and widespread shortages of food and medicine are daily realities. Nine-year-old Lamia (Baneen Ahmad Nayyef) lives in poverty with her grandmother (Waheed Thabet Khreibat) and Lamia’s pet rooster Hindi which she carries in a sack. It is Saddam’s birthday and her teacher assigns her to bake a celebratory cake. He is sadistic and unyielding; knowing full well that her family can’t afford ingredients. Lamia sets out to the city with her late father’s watch to sell for flour, sugar and eggs. Grandmother is unconcerned that such a young girl would make the journey alone, repeating “God is generous”. We’re treated to a colourful slice of life, strange sounds, music, and language as we fear for Lamia’s safety. She’s brave and walks and walks and bargains, as war planes fly overhead. When she doesn’t return her uncle sets out to find her, even as she escapes concerning situations. Lamia’s accepts things as they are; childhood is exciting, fun, always changing, a brave and self-reliant girl forced to grow up too soon. It’s uncomfortable to watch a nine-year-old wander the city alone for an unspecified period of time, to see her harassed by her teacher and struggle to fulfill her mission without complaint. There’s a twist that brings her grandmother to the city to find her. And I wont spoil it. Don’t look away for a second. Shot in Iraq featuring the Mesopotamian marshes believed to be the birthplace of civilization. It’s a heartbreaker. Feb 27 atTIFF Lightbox, Montreal March 13 and Vancouver and going wide in the spring. From writer director Hasan Hadi.