Isabelle Huppert has boarded Natalie Musteata and Alexandre Singh’s acclaimed live-action short film “Two People Exchanging Saliva” as an executive producer, Variety has learned exclusively.
The absurdist dystopian short — written, produced and directed by Musteata and Singh — premiered at the Telluride Film Festival in September 2024. Produced by Paris-based Misia Films (Valentina Merli and Violeta Kreimer), the project is narrated by Vicky Krieps and stars Zar Amir (“Holy Spider”) and Luàna Bajrami (“Portrait of a Lady on Fire”).
The film has been a major presence on the festival circuit, earning multiple honors, including the grand jury prize at the 2024 AFI Fest, best in block at the SCAD Savannah Film Festival and both the Canal+ national and national audience awards at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival.
“What Alexandre Singh and Natalie Musteata achieve in ‘Two People Exchanging Saliva’ is remarkable: a work that fuses artistic rigor with emotional sophistication,” Huppert said in a statement. “Their mutual background in the art world gives this striking and fascinating short film a rare sense of shape and purpose — every detail, every frame, every gesture carries intent. I am proud to support the emergence of such singular new voices, whose vision enriches the future of filmmaking.”
Musteata and Singh, who are married, expressed their gratitude for Huppert’s involvement.
“We are so honored and deeply humbled that Isabelle Huppert will be joining the team of ‘Two People Exchanging Saliva,’” the filmmakers said. “Isabelle is a true artist who has often inspired us as we conceive of characters and never more so than when we were writing our film. In films such as ‘The Piano Teacher’ and ‘Elle,’ she has explored the darker human impulses — desire, control and shame — without apology or moral judgment. These are the very themes that our film is steeped in.”
“Two People Exchanging Saliva” is now available to stream and is distributed by The New Yorker.
