Made independently on a shoestring budget, Obsession has defied expectation, surging past half a billion dollars at the global box office and emerging as a cultural flashpoint that is reshaping the conversation in Hollywood. Almost overnight, Haley Johnson went from an ambitious young producer to one of the most sought-after names in the industry.
Nearly a year after its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival ignited a frenzied studio bidding war, Johnson reflects on the whirlwind journey. She takes us behind the making of Obsession with a scrappy independent crew that set out to make a film originally destined for YouTube and the meteoric rise to become one of the most successful theatrical films of 2026.
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Haley Johnson
Oct 4
12:30 pm
VIFF Centre, VIFF Cinema
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Sunday October 04
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