Inde Navarrette, the breakout star of Focus Features’ horror blockbuster “Obsession,” will receive the Rising Star Award at the Palm Springs International Film Awards, Variety has learned exclusively. Navarrette joins the growing list of honorees that already includes Seth Rogen, Olivia Wilde, Penélope Cruz and Edward Norton, who share the Vanguard Award for “The Invite.” The film premiered to rave reviews, holds a 94% score on Rotten Tomatoes and has grossed more than $500 million worldwide, the largest gor a Focus Features release. It recently picked up a Gotham Award nomination, and critics have consistently singled out Navarrette’s gripping and emotionally charged turn, which has put her firmly in the Oscar race for best actress.
Horror has historically struggled to break through with Academy voters, but has seemingly made a positive, more inclusive turn in recent years with “The Substance,” “Sinners” and “Weapons.” A Palm Springs honor is a critical stop on the Oscar campaign trail. The Rising Star Award itself has a strong track record as an Oscar bellwether. Past recipients include Ariana Grande for “Wicked,” Timothée Chalamet for “Call Me by Your Name,” Alicia Vikander for “The Danish Girl,” Jennifer Lawrence for “Winter’s Bone,” Anna Kendrick for “Up in the Air” and Scarlett Johansson for “Lost in Translation.” Grande, Chalamet, Vikander, Lawrence and Kendrick all went on to Academy Award nominations for those performances, with Vikander taking home the supporting actress statuette.
The Rising Star Award exists to celebrate exactly this kind of breakthrough talent, and we could not be more excited to welcome Inde to Palm Springs.” Written, edited and directed by Curry Barker, the indie thriller follows Bear, a hopeless romantic who breaks the mysterious One Wish Willow to win over his crush, only to find that getting exactly what he wants comes at a sinister price. Navarrette plays Nikki Freeman opposite Michael Johnston, Megan Lawless, Cooper Tomlinson and Andy Richter. Navarrette first broke out in the fourth and final season of Netflix’s teen drama “13 Reasons Why” before landing a series regular role on The CW’s superhero drama “Superman & Lois.” She made her Sundance debut in 2020 opposite Sienna Miller and Diego Luna in “Wander Darkly.” Navarrette is set to take on the iconic role of Rogue in Marvel’s upcoming “X-Men” film and will star in and executive produce “The Waffle House Index,” a sci-fi thriller from Apple Original Films and Plan B Entertainment.
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