Kit Thompson on Sunday, April 25, won the top acting prize in the Panorama Asia category of the 54th WorldFest Houston International Film Festival for his performance in the iWant Original film Belle Douleur"

The Filipino actor bested two other actors—Japan's Hideyuki Kawahara and Yuh Kamiya who were both recognized for their performances in the movie Sin-Gone Irony.

Meanwhile, Kit's Belle Douleur co-star Mylene Dizon, who was vying for best actress, lost to Japan's Nao Hasegawa, who won for her role in the movie Beautiful Lure.

READ: Kit Thompson, Mylene Dizon nominated in 54th Worldfest-Houston Film Festival

Belle Douleur revolves around the story of Liz (Mylene), a 45-year-old, single clinical psychologist who finds herself alone and living a very solitary life once her parents have both passed away. Her friends convince her to downsize, and she does so, putting most of the antiques in her house up for sale online.

In the process of 'Marie Kondo'-ing, she meets Josh (Kit), a young and attractive antique dealer and rock musician. Twenty years younger than Liz, Josh is charming and memorable. She finds out that he, too, has been living on his own for years. And, like Liz, Josh has lost family and lives quite a solitary existence.

Their loneliness draws them together, and the two soon begin a whirlwind romance.

The movie marks the directorial debut of long-time film producer Joji Alonso. It premiered in 2019 at the Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival, where it won the audience choice award for full-length entries.

Read PUSH's movie review of "Belle Douleur" here.