Valentina Merli is the only Italian professional to win an Academy Award in 2026. The producer from Bologna stepped onto the stage in Los Angeles after the short film Two People Exchanging Saliva received the Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film, sharing the prize in a rare tie with another short, The Singers.
Merli is part of the producing team behind the project, working alongside Violeta Kreimer, Natalie Musteata and Alexandre Singh. Her role as producer meant overseeing the film’s development, financing and production process, helping transform the idea into a finished 36-minute movie distributed internationally.
Born in Bologna and now based in Paris, Merli co-founded the production company Misia Films. Through that company she has focused on independent and international cinema, collaborating with directors and artists from different countries. The Oscar-winning short is a French-language co-production between France and the United States, confirming the global scope of the project and of Merli’s work as a producer.
Two People Exchanging Saliva premiered at the Telluride Film Festival on August 30, 2024 and runs about 36 minutes. The film was written and directed by Natalie Musteata and Alexandre Singh and stars actors including Zar Amir Ebrahimi, Luàna Bajrami and Vicky Krieps. Its story unfolds in a surreal dystopian society where kissing is forbidden and even punishable by death, while purchases in a department store are paid for by accepting slaps to the face.
Before reaching the Oscars, the short film circulated widely in international festivals, winning several prizes such as the Grand Jury Award at AFI Fest and the Golden Gate Award at the San Francisco International Film Festival. These recognitions helped build momentum during the 2024–2025 festival circuit.
At the 98th Academy Awards in March 2026, the film’s victory marked a notable achievement for the production team. For Merli, it represents the first Oscar of her career and a milestone for an Italian producer working within the global independent film scene.
