The President's Cake at Luna

Lamia (Baneen Ahmed Nayyef) in The President's Cake
Photo Credit:  Rialto Distribution

For some of us, making a cake is a seemingly simple event and we take it for granted. We go to our local supermarket, buy the ingredients, go home, mix the batter, put it in the oven, wait till it’s cooked and voila – we have a delicious cake to eat.

Not so for 9 year old Lamia (Baneen Ahmed Nayyef) – the main character in the movie The President’s Cake by Iranian film maker Hasan Hadi.

We follow the story of Lamia – who carries her beloved pet rooster Hindi everywhere she goes. She leads a life of poverty by the marshlands in Iraq with her grandmother Bibi (Waheeda Thabet)  during the era of Saddam Hussein.

Unluckily, she is chosen amongst the students in her classroom to make a cake for Saddam Hussein’s birthday – an auspicious day – the ingredients for which her elderly and unwell grandmother can ill afford, but if she doesn’t deliver will have consequences.

Despite difficult circumstances, Lamia and her school mate Saeed (Sajad Mohamad Qasem) find simple games to play that find joy in the moment during their tumultuous journey to buy ingredients to make the President’s cake.

For the audience, following Lamia on her journey is nothing short of profoundly beautiful in a world fraught with deception and difficulty. Baneen Ahmed Nayyef’s acting is second to none – a young actress with poise and demurity way beyond her years – perfectly acted throughout – from happiness to sorrow – she takes us on a spectacularly beautiful and sad journey.

Our emotions as the audience go up and down – as we feel deeply for her. The film maker has touched audience’s hearts with the essence of of what it is to be human.

The beautifully shot cinematography was a treat (the landscape, the harshness, the simple huts alongside the marshlands) amidst much turbulence and violence during war times.

The President’s Cake is a special story that will stay in your heart long after the credits have finished.

The President’s Cake opens at Luna on the 2 April.

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