Overview
- Two People Exchanging Saliva shared Best Live Action Short with The Singers at the Dolby Theatre ceremony on March 16, 2026.
- Merli was the only Italian to receive a statuette at this year's Academy Awards.
- Directed by Natalie Musteata and Alexandre Singh, the 35-minute black-and-white dystopian short features Zar Amir Ebrahimi in the lead.
- Merli noted she holds French citizenship and lives in France, and she contrasted France’s backing of filmmakers with what she called insufficient support in Italy.
- The project was proposed to her company in 2023, screened at Telluride in 2024, and advanced from the festival circuit to an Oscar win.