Patna: Three short films were screened on the inaugural day of the three-day Patna Film Festival on the theme "Cinema of Resistance" at Kalidas Rangalaya on Sunday.

Among the three were Two & Two, The Other Side and Turup.

Young filmmaker Divya Bharti inaugurated the festival, being organised by cultural organisation Hiraval (Jan Sanskriti Manch). Inaugurating the festival, Bharti said people who were using the medium in a wrong way by provoking communalism and hatred. Divya asked young filmmakers to use their camera as a weapon to raise important issues of the society.

Economist D.M. Diwakar, in his speech, said films were helpful tools in raising social and cultural discrepancies.

" Two & Two, a short film written and directed by Babak Anvari in 2009, is about a young boy's school which is ruled under a totalitarian regime," said festival convener Santosh Jha. "It revolves around a teacher who puts forward the idea that 2+2=5 and ends with him reinforcing this idea. Turup, the other film screened in the festival, has been directed by Ektara, which highlights communalism, casteism and oppression through the lives of three characters - Lata, Monika and Neelima."

Cine lovers who attended the festival hailed the selection of the films. "The films showcase the real issues engrained in our society. I enjoyed a lot," said Priya Singh (24).

On Monday, the short film, Kakkoos, directed by Divya Bharti, which highlights manual scavenging in the country, will be one of the highlights.