MIFF Autumn Film Series - The President’s Cake

This Autumn, catch the best of the Melbourne International Film Festival at Bunjil Place.

MIFF and Bunjil Place present MIFF AUTUMN FILM SERIES. Held over one weekend, the showcase brings the best of the festival to Bunjil Place with an extended event program.

A young girl is tasked with baking a cake to celebrate Saddam Hussein’s birthday in this playful fable that won two awards at Cannes including the Caméra d’Or.

In 1990, nine-year-old Lamia lives with her grandmother Bibi and her beloved cockerel Hindi in Iraq’s Mesopotamian marshes. 

Harsh international sanctions have sent basic living costs skyrocketing; but even though his people are hungry, Iraqi president Saddam Hussein still demands that the nation celebrate his birthday, replete with a lavish cake. 

Assigned to bake such a cake for her local school – with severe consequences on offer if she fails – Lamia teams up with her pal Saeed to undertake an odyssey of procuring flour, eggs and sugar in a place where they’re in desperately short supply.

Returning to the site of his childhood experiences in Iraq, writer/director Hasan Hadi delivers a distinctive debut feature, brought to screen with the backing of executive producers Marielle Heller (The Diary of a Teenage Girl, MIFF 2015), Chris Columbus (Home Alone) and co-writer Eric Roth (Killers of the Flower Moon). 

Telling a timely tale of life under a dictatorship as seen through the eyes of a child, Hadi’s film draws from neighbouring Iran’s cinematic tradition of symbolic stories led by young protagonists. 

Arriving direct from Cannes, where it premiered in the Directors’ Fortnight, The President’s Cake marks the arrival of an impressive new voice.

This film is rated M for mature audiences. It contains themes of Political trauma, psychological distress, childhood under dictatorship.

Trigger Warning: Contains emotional scenes that may be distressing to survivors of war or authoritarian regimes. 

Panel

Mohammed Yassin
Mohammed is a former refugee from Iraq, has been a living in Australia for over 20 years. He has been an active advocate for migrant and refugee communities. His notable roles include being appointed as a Commissioner on the Victorian Multicultural Commission, serving as a board member of the Ethnic Communities Council of Victoria, Meals with Impact and the Greater Shepparton Lighthouse Project. 
Mohammed has founded several social enterprises, such as Culture & Co, which delivers training and consulting services to government, non-profit, and corporate sectors. Their anti-racism leadership program for primary schools won the 2022 Victorian Multicultural Excellence Awards in the Education category. Additionally, he co-founded Value Nation, a business development agency that provides entrepreneurship training to refugees.

Rafal Yalda 
Rafal is the first female television presenter of Iraqi roots to appear on screen in Australia. Currently, she continues to pursue media work through the social media project " خـرِ َـفـتَن كـمُ ب ِ وَ) " We Are Proud of You). Rafal is a dedicated social activist who has written and published about relevant issues that her community faces in various websites and magazines. With thousands of followers online, she is dedicated to producing media content that serves and benefits Australia's Arabic-speaking population.

Sahar Ageed 
Sahar is a passionate advocate for human rights, with a career dedicated to empowering refugees, asylum seekers, and marginalised communities. She has extensive experience in community engagement, building inclusive programs that strengthen connections and amplify underrepresented voices. As a consultant and educator, Sahar drives positive change while equipping future professionals in mental health and community services with the skills and knowledge to create lasting impact. She is particularly interested in trauma informed practices, ensuring that care and education are delivered with empathy and understanding. Her work bridges advocacy, education, and leadership, always with a focus on diversity, inclusion, and meaningful social change.