Romanian-born director Natalie Musteață has won the Best Live Action Short Film award at the Academy Awards 2026 for “Two People Exchanging Saliva”, co-created with Alexandre Singh, according to Forbes.
The film presents a provocative dystopian scenario in which intimacy is forbidden and human connection becomes a form of resistance. It follows two women meeting in a Paris department store, whose relationship challenges a society that suppresses affection and normalizes violence.
A career at the intersection of art and film
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Based in Brooklyn, Musteață works across film, contemporary art, and visual theory. Her projects explore themes such as power, human relationships, and social control, often through a minimalist and symbolic visual style.
Before her Oscar win, she was already recognized within independent film and contemporary art circles.
Collaborations and academic work
Natalie frequently collaborates with Alexandre Singh, combining conceptual art aesthetics with cinematic storytelling.
She is also an author, curator, and academic, holding a PhD in art history and a film degree from City University of New York Graduate Center.
She has curated exhibitions such as “If I can’t dance to it, it’s not my revolution” (2014) and “UNREST: Revolt against Reason” (2012), and teaches at The New School.
International recognition
Musteață contributes to publications like Artforum and ARTNews and presents her work at institutions including Centre Georges Pompidou and New Museum.
Her Oscar win reinforces her position in international cinema and highlights her contribution to the dialogue between art and society.
Photo: HotNews
