Mumbai, Sep 20 (IANS): Veteran actress Shabana Azmi will be felicitated at the inaugural Mumbai Women’s International Film Festival (MWIFF) starting here Oct 8.

The week-long event, organised by Oculus Creations with the support of the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC), aims to give women filmmakers an international platform to showcase their talent.

Shabana, who has featured in films like "Ankur", "Arth", "Masoom" and "Fire", has been a testimony of a woman's power in the film industry, believes Ravi Hathalia, film co-ordinator of the fest.

“The festival is honoured to have the support of Shabana Azmi, who is a prominent and noted actress of the industry, With her commendable acting skills, she has shown ‘the power of a woman'. Thus, she will uplift the value of the festival with her presence,” Hathalia said in a statement.

MWIFF has elicited the support of celebrities like Nandita Das, Zoya Akhtar, Reema Kagti, Nawazuddin Siddqui, Saurabh Shukla, Naseeruddin Shah, Piyush Mishra, Honey Irani, Renuka Shahane, Leena Yadav, Alankrita Srivastava, Ashima Chibber and Sumitra Bhave.

In its first edition, the fest received 459 films from over 70 nations, of which over 180 will be screened.

Keeping in mind the theme, the gala will have a pink carpet opening ceremony. The best feature film will win a Fatma Begum Award, named on Fatma Begum, the country's first woman film director.