Iraqi Director Nominated for Guild of America Awards

Iraqi director Hasan Hadi has earned international recognition after receiving a Directors Guild of America (DGA) Awards nomination for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in First-Time Theatrical Feature Film for his debut movie, “The President’s Cake.”

Set in 1990s Iraq, the film tells the story of Lamia, a young girl who is assigned the daunting task of preparing a birthday cake for the country’s leader, a compulsory duty that carries grave consequences if not fulfilled. As Lamia scrambles to gather scarce ingredients, the film unfolds as a tense and emotional portrait of childhood, fear and survival under authoritarian rule.

Hadi is shortlisted in the first-time feature category alongside Eva Victor for “Sorry, Baby,” Alex Russell for “Lurker,” Charlie Polinger for “The Plague,” and Harry Lighton for “Pillion.” The nomination places Hadi among a new generation of filmmakers gaining critical attention on the global stage.

In the broader Outstanding Directorial Achievement in a Theatrical Feature Film category, nominees include some of cinema’s most acclaimed names, such as Guillermo del Toro for “Frankenstein,” Chloé Zhao for “Hamnet,” Ryan Coogler for “Sinners,” Josh Safdie for “Marty Supreme,” and Paul Thomas Anderson for “One Battle After Another.”

Adding to its growing list of accolades, “The President’s Cake” has also been shortlisted for the Academy Award for International Feature Film, further cementing its impact during the awards season.

Hadi’s nomination marks a significant milestone for Iraqi cinema, highlighting powerful storytelling emerging from the region and underscoring the global resonance of deeply personal narratives shaped by historical realities.

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