The President’s Cake: Hasan Hadi’s lovely but harrowing drama follows a 9-year-old girl who “wins” the dubious honour to bake a cake commemorating the birthday of Saddam Hussein, or face dire consequences. But living in a poor, marshy village imposes hardships on her grandmother and her, forcing them to make a journey to the city to gather ingredients. The protagonist is resilient, fervent in her desire to make the cake, and smart; it’s an excellent, touching performance by newcomer Baneen Ahmed Nayyef. Waheed Thabet Khreibat, as her wise, hard-working grandmother, is quietly dignified. Sajad Mohamad Qasem, as a classmate and neighbour who shares some of her journey, plays the rascally kid well. Cinematographer Tudor Vladimir Panduru’s camerawork is simple and elegant, and his images in low light are beautiful. Both the film’s pace (edited by Andu Radu) and tone (which effectively mixes humour with what is essentially a very sad and absurd tale) are excellent. The musical score is exquisite.