While people struggle daily to survive under sanctions in Saddam’s Iraq, nine-year-old Lamia must use her wits to gather ingredients for the mandatory cake to celebrate President Saddam Hussein’s birthday or face the consequences—prison or death.

A cake, a girl, and a rooster are the surprising ingredients of this enchanting modern fable, which journeys from reeded wetlands to war-torn cities. Winning a prize for best debut at Cannes, Hasan Hadi’s incisive political parable brings a child’s poignant innocence to bear on Iraq’s troubled past.