At a TIFF sit-down, filmmaker Curry Barker and star Inde Navarrette reflected on how their lives changed after their horror-romance film Obsession premiered at the festival a year earlier and went on to become a surprise box-office hit. The pair, joined by Midnight Madness programmer Peter Kuplowsky, recalled how modest expectations for the low-budget picture gave way to unexpected success, reshaping both their careers and how Hollywood now treats them.

Obsession, made for just $750,000 and bought by Focus Features for $15m at TIFF, went on to gross $512.6m globally, outperforming Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu's $345.5m. Barker revealed he had planned celebratory tattoos if the film opened to $20m domestically; it opened to $17m before climbing to $27m the following weekend, a rare trajectory he called "unheard of". He also described reshoots prompted by test-audience frustration with a passive character, and both he and Navarrette said doors have since opened professionally — Barker now gets asked what he wants to direct rather than facing rejection, while Navarrette has been cast as Rogue in Marvel's X-Men revival and hopes to direct her own projects.