While k-drama actor So Ji Sub was not nominated for best actor or even best supporting actor at the 2014 Academy Awards, he did have a vested interest in seeing who won.

The film that he invested in was nominated in several categories, but unfortunately did not win in any of them.

The actor's own entertainment agency, 51K, invested $51,000 in the international production, "Philomena." But the competition was fierce.

The film lost the "Best Picture" Academy Award nomination to "12 Years A Slave." The star of "Philomena," Judi Dench, lost the Best Actress nomination to Cate Blanchett, who starred in the Woody Allen film "Blue Jasmine." Steve Coogan, who starred in "Philomena," but also adapted the screenplay lost the Best Adapted Screenplay nomination to "12 Years A Slave." The musical score written by veteran sountrack writer Alexandre Desplat lost to the score for "Gravity."

But the lack of awards should not be seen as a defeat or an investment failure. Being nominated for an Academy Award is an honor in itself and the film has also been honored at previous awards ceremonies. The film previously won a People's Choice Award Runner-Up Prize at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival. It received four BAFTA nominations and won the BAFTA "Best Adapted Screenplay" award. It also earned three Golden Globe nominations.

"Philomena" tells the story of an Irish woman Philomena Lee who had a child as an unwed mother in 1952. She was sent to a Catholic home for unwed mothers, where the child was taken from her and put up for adoption in America. Sixty years later, she decides to go looking for that child.

Award-winning actress Judi Dench played Philomena and Steve Coogan played the BBC correspondent who accompanies her on the trip to find her child. They travel through Ireland and America together. The strength of the film is said to rely heavily on the onscreen interaction between the two actors.

So Ji Sub has previous experience investing in and producing films. When he appeared in the film "Rough Cut," he played a thug who wanted to become an actor. The film's budget was so low that So Ji Sub and fellow actor Kang Ji Hwan invested their film salary back into it. They were credited as producers and the film was successful, winning nominations at various award ceremonies. Both actors won Best New Actor awards for their "Rough Cut" performances at the Blue Dragon Awards.

"Philomena" will probably not be the last film that 51K Entertainment invests in.

The film is based on Martin Sixsmith's book, "The Lost Child of Philomena Lee." It debuts in Korean theaters in April.