The New Yorker’s Films Garner Oscar Recognition

Films released by The New Yorker continue to achieve success at the Academy Awards, with “Two People Exchanging Saliva” winning the Best Live Action Short award at the 98th Academy Awards on March 15, 2026. This marks the second consecutive year a New Yorker film has received the honor, following “I’m Not a Robot” in 2025 .

A Second Consecutive Win for The New Yorker

“Two People Exchanging Saliva,” directed by Alexandre Singh and Natalie Musteata, explores themes of consumerism and repression through a satirical lens. The film, executive-produced by Julianne Moore and Isabelle Huppert, depicts a world where kissing is illegal and transactions are made with slaps to the face. The filmmakers drew inspiration from Western materialism and instances of authoritarian repression, including the “Woman Life Freedom” movement in Iran .

Singh and Musteata described their work as an exploration of “the quiet power of tenderness, especially in repressive societies,” and a means of questioning societal norms through artistic inversion .

Additional Nominations and Recognition

In addition to the win for “Two People Exchanging Saliva,” John Kelly’s animated short “Retirement Plan” received a nomination for Best Animated Short. Four documentary shorts released by The New Yorker – “Extremist,” “Cashing Out,” “Rovina’s Choice,” and “Last Days on Lake Trinity” – were similarly shortlisted for Oscar nominations .

A Growing Legacy of Oscar Recognition

This year’s awards bring the total number of Academy Award nominations for films released by The New Yorker to twenty-one. The magazine’s first Oscar win came in 2015 with “Stutters” .

The New Yorker’s short films are available to watch on newyorker.com/video and the magazine’s YouTube channel.