‘The President’s Cake’ earns Iraq its first Oscar nomination

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - An Iraqi film, The President’s Cake, has been shortlisted for the 2026 Oscars in the Best International Feature Film category, the Academy announced Tuesday, marking the first-ever nomination for an Iraqi production, state media reports.

In a statement on its official website, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) announced the “shortlists in 12 categories for the 98th Academy Awards,” including the International Feature Film category, where 15 films from 86 countries advanced to the next round of voting, including Iraq’s The President’s Cake.

The state-run Iraqi News Agency (INA) reported Tuesday that the nomination marks “a landmark first for Iraqi cinema, with an Iraqi film reaching the Oscar shortlist for the first time in the country’s history,” hailing it as “a pivotal milestone in its cinematic journey.”

The President’s Cake, written and directed by Iraqi filmmaker Hassan Hadi, is his first full-length feature, released in 2025. Set in 1990s Iraq, the film follows Lamia, a nine-year-old girl living with her ailing grandmother, who is tasked with gathering ingredients for a birthday cake to mark the birth anniversary of the now-toppled Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.

The mandatory school assignment - described as an “honor” - comes amid severe food shortages and stifling international sanctions. For Lamia, failing to deliver the ingredients is not merely a social embarrassment but risks exposing her family to harsh punishment or imprisonment.

INA quoted the film’s production team as hailing the Oscar nomination as “a monumental and historic milestone that affirms the resurgence of the Iraqi film industry,” adding that it places the film “before a global audience and brings unprecedented international attention to the creative depth of modern Iraq.”

Earlier this year, The President’s Cake achieved a historic double win at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, taking home both the Camera d'Or and the Directors' Fortnight Audience Award.

The film also earned several other prestigious international honors, including Best Narrative Feature at the Hamptons International Film Festival, Best Debut at the Stockholm International Film Festival, and multiple awards at CineFest Miskolc.

The Oscar nomination comes as the film continues its awards-qualifying theatrical run in New York and Los Angeles.