MUMBAI: Singer-songwriter Shibani Kashyap will perform at the Mumbai Women's International Film Festival (MWIFF) to be held in the city from 8-14 October. She will not only perform at the international event but will also speak at the opening ceremony.

She will share the stage with another singer Shilpa Rao and Abhilasha Chellam, “The Little Nightingale” of Zee TV’s Saregamapa.

“The organisers approached me to be a speaker on the opening ceremony and perform for the closing of the event. I instantly said ‘yes’ because I felt that it is a very unique concept to have an all women's film festival which therefore encompasses women artistes and technicians. Since I am an integral part of the film industry, I felt that I do want to represent and perform and this way make my contribution to support and help the women's film festival,”an excited Shibani told Radioanmusic.com.

She is in the middle of planning out her performance which she reveals will consist of her playing an acoustic guitar accompanied by a violinist. Though her song list is yet to be finalised she said she would surely be performing her penned song: 'I'm a woman, I'm a girl' at the closing ceremony on 14 October.Sharing her experience as a female professional in the entertainment industry, Shibani said that much progress had been made by women.

“A decade back there were almost no women in the technical field of entertainment or very, very few in fact. Conventionally one would find women only as singers or actresses. When I started my career as a composer and singer, I faced my own set of challenges and non acknowledgement but I was firm and focused and in a couple of years people knew me as a composer and singer and now in today's scenario we have women cinematographers, women music directors, women editors, technicians, producers.”

In spite of assaults against women making regular headlines, the 'Bhindi Bazzaar' is guardedly optimistic. “I think things have really changed and progressed, and women are being empowered in the professional fields. On the other hand it is ironic and shameful that women face assaults, molestations, rapes and harassment. Something needs to be done immediately about this,” she concluded.

Considered one of the biggest women international film festival of India, the festival is expected to screen 180 films from 70 countries. It will also be attended by film industry’s directors and actors such as Shabana Azmi, Nandita Das and Nawazuddin Siddiqui.