Hasan Hadi, filmmaker: “My film proves that filming in Iraq is possible”

“A dangerous draw, a rooster as a confidant, and children launched into an impossible quest: if the ingredients of this film come from a fairy tale, its recipe incorporates all the bitterness that permeated the daily lives of Iraqis under Saddam Hussein,” comments Screen, a British magazine specializing in film news. Screened at the Filmmakers' Fortnight, The President's Cake should “appeal to a wide audience,” adds the British magazine, which specializes in film news.

Iraqi Hasan Hadi's feature film takes us to 1990, to a country weakened by the war against Iran (1980-1988) and the economic embargo imposed by the United States after the attempted invasion of Kuwait (summer 1990). Its plot is inspired by true events. Due to the cult of the leader, Saddam Hussein's birthday (in power from 1979 to 2003) was celebrated even in schools. Every year, students were chosen by lot. One had to bring flowers, another fruit, and yet another a cake... Which, in those times of deprivation and scarcity, could be a crazy adventure. Failure was risky; you could be suspected of belonging to a family of opponents.

On screen, it's Lamia (Baneen Ahmad Nayyef), a Marsh Arab, who is tasked with making a cake. She sets off for Baghdad, a seven-hour drive away, with her grandmother Bibi (Waheed Thabet Khreibat) and her rooster Hindi, to try to find some eggs, flour, and sugar. "Many adventures ensue in a city crisscrossed by processions dedicated to the cult of the president, whose portrait is displayed on every street corner and in every shop," explains the Algerian daily L'Expression .

The President's Cake is the first Iraqi film selected for the Cannes Film Festival. It is also the first feature film by Hasan Hadi. Born in southern Iraq, where he grew up, he studied film at New York University before returning to Baghdad. While on the Croisette to present his film, he answered questions from Courrier International.

COURRIER INTERNATIONAL Your film offers a rare opportunity to discover on the big screen the marshes of Mesopotamia, at the mouth of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. What does this region represent for you?

HASAN HADI This area of ​​southern Iraq offered the perfect setting for me. For starters, it was the cradle of Mesopotamian civilization, considered the oldest civilization. It was also the birthplace of the Epic of Gilgamesh [one of humanity's oldest works of literature, depicting the epic adventures of the king of the same name]. The marshes are both reality and fable, and I wanted both of these elements to permeate my film.

Second, this region symbolizes an important part of Iraqi identity, even more so under Saddam Hussein. In 1991, after an attempted insurrection that started in these marshes, Saddam decided