Shimla, Aug 6 (IANS): The 10th edition of the International Film Festival of Shimla (IFFS) will be held from August 16 to 18 at the historic Gaiety Theater here, organisers said on Tuesday.

The festival is being organised by Himalayan Velocity in collaboration with the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, and the state Department of Language and Culture.

Festival Director Pushp Raj Thakur said that this year, ‘Mrs Tendulkar’ starring Seema Biswas in the titular role will be the inaugural film. The acclaimed actress will also be present during the inaugural ceremony.

An NSD alumnus, Biswas gained prominence after playing Phoolan Devi in Shekhar Kapur's ‘Bandit Queen’ (1994), for which she won the National Award for Best Actress.

This year, 27 countries and 20 states are participating in the festival that promises to celebrate the art of storytelling through the lens of diverse cultures and perspectives.

In the international category, filmmakers from France, Iran, Sri Lanka, Uruguay, Germany, Nepal, Greece, the US, Portugal, Sweden, Bangladesh, Switzerland, Malaysia, Tunisia, Africa, Egypt, Italy, Turkey, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Korea, Canada, Britain, Bulgaria and China are participating.

The festival will feature competitions in international, national, and state categories. There will also be specially curated sessions focusing on issues, themes, countries, etc.