Alexandre Singh and Natalie Musteata's black-and-white short film *Two People Exchanging Saliva* has been nominated for an Academy Award in the live action short film category. The 36-minute dystopian romance, set in a Paris where kissing is forbidden and punishable by death, premiered at the Telluride Film Festival and has since won multiple prizes. It is distributed by the New Yorker and produced by Misia Films and art[cc]corp, and was also shortlisted for a 2026 César Award.
The nomination marks a rare crossover from the visual art world into mainstream film awards, highlighting how artists and art historians are increasingly using cinema as a medium. Singh, whose work has been shown at galleries like Metro Pictures and Sprüth Magers, and Musteata, a curator with a PhD in art history, bring an art-world sensibility to the short film format. The film's success underscores the growing recognition of artist-made films within the broader entertainment industry.