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| The President's Cake was a winner with the audience in Cannes Photo: Courtesy of Cannes Film Festival |
Hasan Hadi has won the People's Choice award at Cannes Film Festival for The President's Cake.
The prize, which holds a €7,500 (£6,300) purse, is the only one that is voted for by audiences across the festival. His film tells the story of little Lamia (Banin Ahmad Nayef), who finds herself on an odyssey for cake ingredients with her best pal Saeed (Sajad Mohamad Qasem) and her pet cockerel Hindi encountering a slew of predatory adults along the way.
New York-based Iraqi filmmaker Hasan Hadi told us: "Films are supposed to elevate you to another world, at least for me, that’s why I like films that show you real life but, at the same time, there’s a leap of faith they’re asking you to take."
He blends elements of fable with the sharp realities of life in Iraq under Saddam Hussein that has been hit hard by sanctions.
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| Wild Foxes Photo: © Helicotronc |
Also in Director's Fortnight, Valéry Carnoy’s Wild Foxes took home the Europa Cinemas Cannes Label for best European Film. It also won the SACD Coup de Cœur Prize for best French-language feature. The film charts the story of a young boxer (Samuel Kircher) who begins to have doubts about his career in the ring after an injury.
