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‘Great Secret of Barsim’ Represents Saudi Arabia in Alexandria Short Film Festival

A scene from the "Great Secret of Barsim”.
A scene from the "Great Secret of Barsim”.
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‘Great Secret of Barsim’ Represents Saudi Arabia in Alexandria Short Film Festival

A scene from the "Great Secret of Barsim”.
A scene from the "Great Secret of Barsim”.

The Saudi short film “Great Secret of Barsim” is partaking in the 9th edition of the Alexandria Short Film Festival between 16 and 21 February.

The “Great Secret of Barsim” is directed and written by Sultan Rabih, starred by Yassine Ghazzawi and Majed al-Turki, and cinematographed by Abdelhamid Khan. The story of the film revolves around Barsim, a young man looking for a job. During an interview, Barsim hides a secret that might destroy his chances to get that job.

“We finished the filming about a year ago. The real shooting needed around three days, but it took us around two weeks to finish because the actors had other commitments,” director Rabih told Asharq Al-Awsat about his film.

Rabih said he was surprised with the huge success the film achieved when screened at the Saudi Film Festival, noting that “the first display was during the Saudi Film Festival and the audience loved it. I won’t lie to you, I didn’t expect this great success in the first show. The film was also displayed at the Arab Film Festival in Los Angeles, but I didn’t have the chance to be there.”

About the film’s forthcoming steps, the Saudi director said: “Few days ago, we got the approval to display the ‘Great Secret of Barsim’ at the Faten Hamama Film Festival, in the UK. It is also set to make its first African participation at the Alexandria Short Film Festival. I am happy to watch it there since I didn’t see that beautiful city before.”

“The participation of Saudi films in the Alexandria Short Film Festival is not new, it goes back to several editions, reflecting the remarkable advancement of the cinema in the Kingdom which was present in major festivals and events worldwide. This year, one Saudi short film is partaking in the Arabic Film Contest and the number might increase after the announcement of the other contests,” Egyptian film critic Mohamed Nabil, director of the festival’s press center, told Asharq Al-Awsat.

The ‘Great Secret of Barsim’ partakes in the Arabic Film Contest at the Alexandria Short Film Festival chaired by director Mohammed Mahmoud. The contest also includes seven other films: “What Happens in Nadine’s Life” (Egypt); “Better Alone” (Iraq); “Boumela” (Algeria); “Charter” (Morocco); “Alive” (Jordan); “Call” (Tunisia); and “Whistle” (Iraq).

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Cute carnivores: Bloodthirsty California Squirrels Go Nuts for Vole Meat

This handout photo obtained from the University of California on December 18, 2024, shows ground squirrels eating voles in Davis, California. Sonja Wild / University of California, Davis/AFP
This handout photo obtained from the University of California on December 18, 2024, shows ground squirrels eating voles in Davis, California. Sonja Wild / University of California, Davis/AFP
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Cute carnivores: Bloodthirsty California Squirrels Go Nuts for Vole Meat

This handout photo obtained from the University of California on December 18, 2024, shows ground squirrels eating voles in Davis, California. Sonja Wild / University of California, Davis/AFP
This handout photo obtained from the University of California on December 18, 2024, shows ground squirrels eating voles in Davis, California. Sonja Wild / University of California, Davis/AFP

Squirrels might look like adorable, nut-hoarding furballs, but some are ruthless predators that hunt, tear apart, and devour voles.
That's the startling finding of a new study published Wednesday in the Journal of Ethology -- the first to document widespread carnivorous behavior in these seemingly innocent creatures.
"There is always something new to learn and wild animals continue to surprise us," lead author Jennifer E. Smith, an associate professor of biology at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire told AFP.
"In a changing world with many technological advances, there is no replacement for direct observation of natural history, including watching the squirrels and birds that often visit our backyards."
The observations were made this summer, during the 12th year of a long-term study conducted at Briones Regional Park in Contra Costa County, California.
Between June and July, researchers recorded 74 interactions involving California ground squirrels and voles, with 42 percent of them involving active hunting of their fellow rodents.
Co-author Sonja Wild, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Davis, admitted she was initially skeptical of the reports brought to her by undergraduate students who first witnessed the behavior.
"I could barely believe my eyes," said Wild. But "once we started looking, we saw it everywhere."
It was previously known that as many as 30 species of squirrels opportunistically consume meat, ranging from small fish to birds. However, it was unclear whether this behavior stemmed from scavenging or active predation.
The new study is the first to confirm that hunting is, in fact, a common behavior.
Researchers observed squirrels crouching low to the ground before ambushing their prey, though more often, they chased voles, pounced, and delivered a neck bite followed by vigorous shaking.
The study also found that the squirrels' carnivorous behavior peaked during the first two weeks of July, coinciding with a surge in vole populations reported by citizen scientists on the iNaturalist app.
Other animals, such as raccoons, coyotes, and spotted hyenas, have been known to adapt their hunting strategies in response to human-induced changes in their environments.
"In a changing world, it can be daunting to consider all of the challenges that human presence, habitat loss, and climate change impose on animals," said Smith.
"Our study offers an exciting silver lining, demonstrating the incredible flexibility that some animals possess."
Several questions still remain unanswered.
Researchers hope to investigate how widespread hunting behavior is among squirrel species, whether it is passed down from parents to pups, and how it affects their broader ecosystems.