This poignant, funny and deeply humane romantic drama centres on 70-year old Mahin, an increasingly isolated widow living on the outskirts of Tehran, who decides to re-engage with the world. The film is entertaining yet gently subversive. Universal themes – about ageing, loneliness, and coming to terms with loss – mix with criticism of contemporary restrictions.  

Co-writers/directors Maryam Maghaddam and Behtash Saneeha “wanted to show how Iranian women really live”. Their motivation was heightened when, during the middle of filming, 22 year-old Mahsa Amini died in police custody after being detained for not fully covering her hair.  All involved in the film “knew it would have consequences”. 

One of their previous films was banned, and Maghaddam was blocked from leaving the country when she starred in a film made by 2025 Palme d’Or winner Jafar Panahi. The application to film external scenes was made under a false name, and a copy of the dailies and rushes were sent to Paris, saving the film from oblivion when the authorities raided the editor’s house.

The directors’ passports were confiscated, preventing them from taking part in post-production or attending screenings. At the prestigious Berlinale, where it won two major prizes, a directors’ statement was read out, comparing them to “parents forbidden from even looking at their newborn child.”  

“This wonderfully sweet and funny film will contribute to the debate about whether repressive regimes are the nursery of artistic greatness … quietly magnificent.” Peter Bradshaw, Guardian.

“Perhaps more radical than the censor-baiting is the fact that My Favourite Cake trains its lens on lonely, ordinary older people – a demographic all too frequently invisible to film-makers the world over.” Wendy Ide, Observer.