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Iraqi Sanctions Drama “Ein Kuchen für den Präsidenten” Opens in German Cinemas

The film turns a child's forced cake project for Saddam Hussein into an intimate portrait of sanctions’ civilian toll under a repressive state.

Overview

  • The feature debut from director Hasan Hadi launches nationwide in Germany on February 5.
  • Set in 1990s Iraq, the story follows nine-year-old Lamia and her grandmother as they search for basic baking ingredients in a climate of scarcity and fear.
  • Hadi tells dpa he wants audiences to remember that sanctions do not only affect leaders, emphasizing their impact on ordinary families.
  • Critics single out young lead Banin Ahmad Najef for a performance that anchors the film’s emotional power.
  • Iraq submitted the film for the Academy Award for Best International Feature, but it did not make the final shortlist.