Children of war, reimagined

Iraqi director Hasan Hadi deconstructs the making of his poignant debut film that has made it to the Oscars 2026 shortlist

- Anand Holla

In December 2025, The President's Cake was shortlisted for the 2026 Oscars in the Best International Feature Film category. This honour is a big cherry on the much-acclaimed debut film by Iraqi director Hasan Hadi, including the prestigious Caméra d'Or that it won at the Cannes Film Festival for Best First Feature this year.

Set in 1990s Iraq during the Gulf War, when the country was reeling under Saddam Hussein's authoritarian rule, the film is inspired by Hadi's own childhood experiences. The narrative follows nine-year-old Lamia (Banin Ahmad Nayef) who is chosen to bake a cake to mark her school's mandatory Presidential birthday celebrations. The near-impossible assignment sends her on an unenviable adventure, along with her friend, grandmother, and her pet rooster, to hunt for the ingredients in a climate of fear and scarcity. At the recent Doha Film Festival, the film was screened to a rousing reception. Soon after, we sat down with Hadi for a freewheeling chat.

Excerpts from the interview:

In your film set more than three decades ago, children clearly are victims of the war. We see the same cycle repeating today. How do you see it?