Chennai, Dec 16 (IANS): Actor-filmmaker Tanikella Bharani is overwhelmed with the response his maiden Telugu directorial "Mithunam" has received at the ongoing 11th Chennai International Film Festival (CIFF).

"Mithunam", which deals with the relationship between a septuagenarian couple, is the only Telugu film to be screened at the festival.

"I'm extremely happy that I have received words of appreciation from legendary filmmakers such as K. Balachander and Bapu. I was also happy with the fact that my film played to a full house, which also included several foreigners," Bharani told IANS.

While Tamil filmmaker Balachander called the film "a visual poetry", Bapu lauded Bharani's effort for presenting the film with unparalleled sensitivity.

"I'm glad I got the opportunity to present my film in this festival. I hope more Indian films get the opportunity to be screened in these festivals, which also attracts foreigners. This way our films can cross over and can also attract global acclaim," he said.

The film, which released towards the end of 2012, was not a money spinner at the box-office, yet managed to complete a 50-day run.

It featured only two characters essayed by S.P Balasubrahmanyam and Lakshmi.

The CIFF, which started on Dec 12, is slated to conclude on Dec 19. 163 films from 58 countries are being screened at the fest.