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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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Should You Stretch before Exercise? After? Never? Here’s What to Know

Philadelphia Eagles stretch as they get ready during practice at NFL football training camp, Thursday, July 25, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP)
Philadelphia Eagles stretch as they get ready during practice at NFL football training camp, Thursday, July 25, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP)
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Should You Stretch before Exercise? After? Never? Here’s What to Know

Philadelphia Eagles stretch as they get ready during practice at NFL football training camp, Thursday, July 25, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP)
Philadelphia Eagles stretch as they get ready during practice at NFL football training camp, Thursday, July 25, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP)

For many people of a certain age, high school gym class began with reaching for their toes. Then, over the years, we were told it was better to stretch after exercise.

It turns out, both those things can be true, but the differing advice has created some confusion.

Stretching can help make you more flexible, improve range of motion in your joints — and feel good. David Behm, who researches human kinetics at Memorial University of Newfoundland in St. John’s, Canada, offers this advice on when to stretch and how to do it safely:

Warm up first

It’s almost always good to stretch, but it’s better if you warm up first, said Behm, author of "The Science and Physiology of Flexibility and Stretching." He recommends a light aerobic activity such as jogging, walking or cycling for five or 10 minutes.

Follow that with some static stretching, the traditional way of reaching and holding a position (think back to that gym class). You can then do activity-specific dynamic stretching, in which you warm up the muscles with repetitive movements like leg lifts.

Behm says one minute is "the magic number" for how long to do static stretching per muscle group without fatigue.

Expand your definition of 'stretching'

Should you always stretch before exercising? If it's traditional stretching, not necessarily.

The better question, Behm says, is, "Should people increase their range of motion? Should people have better flexibility? And that is yes, because it helps prevent injuries. It helps with health. But you don’t have to stretch to achieve that."

Resistance training, for instance, can be an effective form of stretching, he said. Doing a chest press increases range of motion in your deltoids and pecs, whether with barbells, dumbbells or machines, so there is no need to stretch beforehand. Just make sure to start with a small amount of weight to warm up and then add more to train.

"You probably don’t have to do extra stretching unless you’re a gymnast, a figure skater, or even a golfer who needs a great range of motion through that swing," Behm said.

Nor do you need to stretch first if you’re going for a leisurely run. Simply start with a slow jog to warm up and then increase the pace.

Don't do it if it hurts

After exercise, "light stretching is OK, as long as you don't reach a point where you're feeling pain," Behm said. Since your muscles will be warm by that point, overdoing it makes you more likely to injure yourself.

Foam rollers can help with muscle recovery and have been shown to increase range of motion as well as stretching.

Do some static stretching before sports

If you’re playing a sport, Behm said, static stretching beforehand helps reduce muscle and tendon injury.

"If you’re going to do an explosive movement, change of direction, agility, sprint, any of these explosive activities that involve your muscles and tendons," he said, "you’re going to be stronger if you do static stretching."

People can especially get in trouble when they go back to a sport they used to play, whether it's tennis, surfing or any sort of team activity.

Also, stretch both sides equally. Lacking flexibility on one side also can lead to injury.

Sounds simple. Why all the confusion? Different studies over the years have either encouraged or discouraged stretching before exercise. Behm says that partly because some studies didn't reflect real-life conditions, or were designed with elite athletes in mind, not regular people.

"If you’re Usain Bolt, it makes a difference," said Behm. Not so much for the rest of us.