Romanian-Armenian Filmmaker Natalie Musteata Wins Oscar for Best Live Action Short

Filmmaker of Armenian descent Natalie Musteata has won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film as co-director of the short film “Two People Exchanging Saliva.” The film gained international recognition throughout the past year and ultimately received one of the highest honors in the film industry at the Academy Awards.

“Two People Exchanging Saliva” is a French-language short film written and directed by husband and wife Natalie Musteata and Alexandre Singh. The film premiered at the 2024 Telluride Film Festival and quickly drew attention for its unique concept and visual style. Shot entirely in black and white, the film presents a surreal society where kissing is punishable by death and people pay for goods by receiving slaps to the face.

The film features narration by Vicky Krieps (PHANTOM THREAD) and stars Zar Amir Ebrahimi (HOLY SPIDER) and Luana Bajrami (PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE). It was executive produced by Julianne Moore and Isabelle Huppert.

At the Academy Awards ceremony, the category for Best Live Action Short Film had two winners. Natalie Musteata’s film “Two People Exchanging Saliva” shared the award with the short film “The Singers.” In her speech on stage, Musteata noted that such a tie in this category is extremely rare in the history of the Academy Awards.

“I believe this has only happened three times in history before, and we are so happy to be sharing this Oscar with the singers we love, all of our fellow nominees, and we're so, so grateful to everyone who has supported our film and who made this film, our crew, Galerie Lafayette, The New Yorker, our EPs, Julianne Moore and Isabelle Huppert, our family, our friends, Souvenir Shop, and our little girl, Sophia Singh. And thank you to the Academy for supporting a film that is weird and that is queer and that is made by a majority of women!”

Before winning the Oscar, the film had already received major recognition at international film festivals. It won the Grand Jury Prize at AFI Fest and also received the Canal+ Award and the Audience Award at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival, one of the world’s most important festivals dedicated to short films.

Natalie Musteata is a writer, curator, and filmmaker who holds a Doctorate in Art History and a Master’s degree in Film from The Graduate Center. Her work often explores themes of identity, culture, and storytelling through experimental cinematic approaches.

In an interview with screenwriter John August, Musteata spoke about her background and family history. “My family’s from Armenia. They went to France in exile. I grew up with the two languages.”

The film continues to reach audiences beyond the festival circuit. “Two People Exchanging Saliva” is currently streaming in the United States through The New Yorker’s YouTube channel and is also available on Canal+ in France.

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