B14. Best Animation (Nominee)
Moulded by Fame
From Sriti Das
Through the virality of social media, an influencer unwittingly promotes the spread of a parasitic fungus into the world.
Hi, my name is Sriti Das. I am from Sydney, Australia and am studying animation at the University of Technology Sydney. My film "Moulded by Fame" was shortlisted for Best Animation in the 2026 Australia Youth Film Festival.
What inspired you and your work?
My film was inspired by the rising celebrity-status of influencers, and the many cases where people have come to harm purchasing their products or following trends they promote. We had a shared concern over the often parasitic relationships of social media, influencers, trends and consumerism, and were inspired by the Cordyceps fungus to represent this as a literal "viral" infection. I personally have never been interested in celebrity culture, and watching people in my life cause harm to themselves (often by spending money they don't have) on the newest trends prompted me to create a story with undeniable, physical consequences to this phenomenon. We were influenced by the works of Tadahiro Uesugi, Damien Hirst (particularly Treasures from the Wreck of the Unbelievable) and The Last of Us by Naughty Dog.