TIFF: 'Obsession' team headlines YouTube creators summit

The team behind horror indie 'Obsession' came back to the Toronto International Film Festival for a headline talk about moving from online video to cinema. The film had sold out its screenings at last year's festival, as reported by Variety. The room was full again.

The keynote brought together digital creator Curry Barker and star Inde Navarrette. Barker launched as an auteur — a director with a distinct personal voice — through 'Obsession', according to Variety. Navarrette is now in the awards conversation, the early chatter about who could land nominations in the coming season.

The talk was part of a creators summit organised by Variety in partnership with YouTube and TIFF. The summit was built for people who started on social and streaming platforms and are now working in film and television. It drew talent including Ziwe and wilderness adventurer Mark Vins.

The business of that crossover was also on the agenda. Sean Downey, Google's ad sales and partnerships chief for the Americas, spoke at the festival about YouTube's scale and its plans in live events. YouTube will carry its first Academy Awards broadcast — the Oscars, film's biggest prizes night — in 2029, as reported by Variety.

Downey said YouTube had passed one billion hours of watch time linked to the World Cup. That is the total time viewers spent watching related clips, highlights and coverage on the platform. It gives a sense of why YouTube wants major live shows.

For fans, this means the path is getting shorter. A horror made outside the studio system can sell out Toronto one year and return the next year with its director and star treated as awards contenders. And the same platform where many viewers found them will soon be the home of the Oscars themselves.