Oscar 2026

Valentina Merli, the only Italian to win an Oscar

The producer won for the best live action short film 'Two People Exchanging Saliva'

by Andrea Chimento

16 March 2026

Alexandre Singh e Natalie Musteata posano con il premio per il miglior cortometraggio in live action «Two People Exchanging Saliva» durante la 98ª cerimonia annuale degli Oscar al Dolby Theatre di Los Angeles, California, USA, il 15 marzo 2026. (EPA)

2' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

2' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

There was also a pinch of Italia at the 98th Academy Awards ceremony: producer Valentina Merli lifted the Oscar statuette for Best Live Action Short Film with 'Two People Exchanging Saliva'.

Merli, 53, was born and grew up in Bologna before moving to France in 1999 and starting her career in the world of cinema from there. The production company she founded is called Misia Films, dedicating herself to both short and feature films: the film Laces by Daniele Luchetti, chosen as the opening title of the 2020 Venice Film Festival, belongs to this second group.

However, Luchetti is not the only famous name he has collaborated with, as he was also among the producers of Combat d'amour en songe by Chilean film master Raúl Ruiz.

Tonight, however, came the real turning point in his career, thanks to the statuette that Two People Exchanging Saliva shared with another short film, The Singers, in a decidedly anomalous ex aequo in Oscar history.

The only Italian nominee at this year's Academy Awards, Merli triumphed thanks to a black-and-white film co-produced by France and the United States.

Two People Exchanging Saliva, which had its premiere at the Telluride Festival in 2024, is about a dystopian world in which kissing another person is considered inappropriate and even punishable by death.

Directed by Natalie Musteata and Alexandre Singh, the film also offers another curiosity: the main character is Zar Amir Ebrahimi, a famous Iranian actress with French nationality, known for her work in successful films such as Holy Spider, Tatami and Looking Lolita in Tehran.

Thanks to the strength ofTwo People Exchanging Saliva and its producer, thus, Italia too was in some way a protagonist in this important ceremony that saw the triumph of Paul Thomas Anderson's One Battle After Another.