But what was it about these labs in particular that rendered them so meaningful? Hadi explains that the Director’s Lab allowed him to work on scenes from his film in a creative environment whose purpose was to support and build him up. His advisors weren’t there to judge or instill any sense of competition among fellows.
“That takes a huge load off your shoulders,” he says. “It’s like, OK, I’m not here to impress someone. No one is caring about me having the most impressive shot. It very much is about learning. And that’s where the whole experience becomes almost spiritual. You get to understand how to work with actors. You get to understand how to work on the scene. You get to understand how to work with your cinematographer, editor. All this comes suddenly to life in a very lovely but also protective environment that allows you to fail, that allows you to get embarrassed. But no one is here to judge you.”
Any impostor syndrome that fellows might bring with them to the labs is quickly dispelled once they realize that the creative advisors — no matter how experienced or well-known they may be — have volunteered their time because they know the power of a good story and they want to give back to the film community by helping emerging artists to thrive. “It comes from a place of love and interest to make your project better, to make you as an artist better,” says Hadi. “And lots of those sessions were therapeutic sessions, like it’s like therapy, you know? It opens up things in your life and aspects in your script that you have never seen before and that’s what’s really unique about the lab in a way.”
For filmmakers like Hadi who come from countries that don’t yet have an established presence in cinema, encouragement from industry veterans is invaluable to their project’s development. “This is the first Iraqi film to tell this story from this period of Iraq. And no other film has told a story from this period of Iraq, even though it’s such an important period because the impacts of it are still tangible now,” says Hadi of The President’s Cake. “This was an Iraqi film that I really think is told from an Iraqi perspective by Iraqi actors, written by an Iraqi writer, shot fully in Iraq, everything. And I think this just tells you how Sundance is about voice, is about storytelling and not about nationalities, in a sense, because they really supported a film from Iraq that I don’t think has an audience, you know, in the sense of ‘Iraqi cinema.’ There’s not. They are supporting a nonexistent cinema in a way. They are supporting [creating] cinema in a country that really struggles with that.”
“I really hope not only the government of the country or the state but also the community of artists understands how valuable this is for us,” he continues. “I don’t think I would be able to make the film as fast as I could if I didn’t have this kind of support, and I come from Iraq. I don’t get that support anywhere, almost, in the region.”
The late Robert Redford said, “Everyone has a story,” and that belief remains at the core of the Institute’s artist programs. “Being part of this community means that people are interested or want to be told [our stories],” says Hadi. “It’s just about reaching a wider audience, and I think platforms and institutions like Sundance really enable that. Once I got into the lab for the first time, I was like, ‘Oh, there is a real chance we can do this film now.’ This was before raising any funds, before raising any money.”
Voices like Hadi’s belong in cinema, not just for their storytelling talents but for their ability to offer authentic perspectives of life rarely portrayed on screen. “I hope when people see this film, it’s eye-opening for them about Iraq, transports them to Iraq in the 1990s,” he says. “How it felt to live there under those circumstances. It’s a film about love, strength of friendship, sacrifice — all that. And obviously politics are there, but it comes from the context.”