MANILA – The lead stars of the iWant Original film “Belle Douleur” have been nominated in acting categories in the 54th WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival.

According to its Facebook announcement on Wednesday, Kit Thompson and Mylene Dizon are both vying for best actor and best actress, respectively, in the Panorama Asia category.

Thompson is up against Japan's Hideyuki Kawahara and Yuh Kamiya for their performances in the movie “Sin-Gone Irony.”

Dizon, on the other hand, is in the same category as Vietnam’s Hoang Thi Bich Phuong for “Invisible Love” and Japan’s Nao Hasegawa for “Beautiful Lure.”

The 54th edition of the Worldfest-Houston International Film Festival is happening in Houston, Texas from April 22 to 25.

“Belle Douleur” is a movie about the love affair between a woman and a man half her age.

The iWant Original film, the title of which translates to "beautiful pain," follows the story of Liz (Dizon), a 45-year-old psychologist, and Josh (Thompson), a 20-year-old musician. They cross paths when Liz puts up for sale old furniture and items in her ancestral home, capturing the interest of Josh, who also happens to be an antique collector and seller.

"Belle Douleur" also marks the directorial debut of long-time film producer Joji Alonso, and is co-produced with Quantum Films.

It premiered in 2019 at the Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival, where it won the audience choice award for full-length entries.