Set in 1990s Iraq under the shadow of economic sanctions, this poignant tale follows nine-year-old Lamia (Baneen Ahmed Nayyef). When her school tasks her with baking a cake for Iraqi President Saddam Hussein’s birthday, Lamia and her diabetic grandmother, Bibi (Waheed Thabet Khreibat), must embark on a perilous journey to the city to find scarce ingredients. Their quest becomes a battle for survival and dignity, illustrating the resilience of the human spirit when faced with the demands of an authoritarian regime and the harsh realities of war.

Hasan Hadi makes a stunning directorial debut with this Iraqi-filmed production, which features a cast of mostly untrained actors. The film achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first Iraqi entry to compete in the Cannes Film Festival's Directors' Fortnight, where it won the prestigious Audience Award. It has been celebrated by critics as a devastatingly honest portrait of childhood, successfully balancing a tender personal story against the backdrop of a complex political landscape.