Charlene deGuzman only wanted to tell producer Mark Duplass that he was her hero when she sent him a direct message on Twitter in late 2013.

What the Los Angeles-based actress and writer wasn’t prepared for was for Duplass to ask her for a script. DeGuzman hadn’t written any new material at the time.

Growing up, I so badly wanted to see a Filipina woman on TV and in the movies, and I didn’t have that. Maybe now, other young women will see this and not be afraid to tell their stories or say ‘I can become an actor too!’

“It wasn’t until a year later after I wrote a pilot based on my experiences with addiction and recovery that I reached out again,” deGuzman said, referring to her time in a 12-step recovery program for love and sex addiction.

That script would became “Unlovable,” a feature-length film that follows the character of Joy (portrayed by deGuzman), a sex- and love-addicted woman who learns what real intimacy is when she starts making music with a reclusive man, Jim (portrayed by John Hawkes). The film is loosely based off on deGuzman’s experiences.

Following a successful crowdfunding campaign and support from the Sun Valley Film Festival’s 2017 The Film Lab program for in-progress projects, “Unlovable” has garnered some acclaim, making its festival debut at South by Southwest (SXSW) in March, where it received Special Jury Recognition for the SXSW LUNA® Gamechanger Award aimed at supporting female filmmakers.

The film is scheduled to screen at the Bentonville Film Festival and the Center for Asian American Media's CAAMFest in May as well as the Nantucket Film Festival in June. It was also chosen to be screened as a part of Rooftop Films's New York summer series.

DeGuzman’s first feature-length film, "Unlovable" helped her cope as she went through recovery. She said she often changed the script based on what happened in her life. It ultimately helped her keep moving forward in her recovery, she added.

“There’d be times where I was just working on the script all night, but it was something to make me feel like there was value in what I’m doing," deGuzman said. "And what drove me to continue writing my story was because I wanted to help people and bring awareness to this.”