Emerging actresses on the world stage

International feature submissions from Iraq, Chile and Argentina are led by newcomers who deliver moving portrayals of women facing adversity

- Story by Gregory Ellwood

THE OSCARS' International feature class of 2026 includes sweeping epics, intense thrillers, black comedies and haunting dramas, but three submissions put young women at the forefront.

Their stars, from Iraq, Chile and Argentina, are also first-time or relatively unknown actors. And their captivating performances demonstrate the wealth of onscreen talent hidden in all corners of the world.

'THE PRESIDENT'S CAKE'

For almost 20 years, Iraqi schoolchildren lived in fear over the birthday of Saddam Hussein. The celebrations required that one student, selected randomly, bake a cake in honor of the nation's authoritarian ruler — a task requiring time and resources prohibitive to much of the population. For filmmaker Hasan Hadi, it’s an experience that haunts him to this day.

“One year I was picked as a flower boy. Flowers were much easier because usually teachers don't really care about them because they're not edible,” Hadi explains. “But the thing is, my friend was picked for the birthday cake, and he couldn’t make it. And his fate totally changed. He got recruited to Saddam’s children army. He was expelled from the school. And I feel like it was kind of chasing me. This survival guilt. What if it was me?”

Hadi’s feature directorial debut, “Cake” follows Lamia (Banin Ahmad Nayef), a 9-year-old living with her grandmother in Iraq's Mesopotamian Marshes. Lamia’s life is turned upside down as she faces one obstacle after another to bake the cake. As with almost the entire cast, Nayef was a first-time actor, and Hadi was admittedly nervous as they were coming down to the wire in casting the role.