Absurdist Short ‘Two People Exchanging Saliva,’ About a World Where Kissing is Illegal, Set for Feature Adaptation (EXCLUSIVE)

variety.com:

Ben Croll Directors Alexandre Singh and Natalie Musteata have paired with Paris-based Misia Films for a feature adaptation of their award-winning short “Two People Exchanging Saliva.” Narrated by Vicky Krieps, and starring Zar Amir Ebrahimi (“Holy Spider”) and Luana Bajrami (“Portrait of a Lady on Fire”), the absurdist tragicomedy explores a dystopian world where kissing is punishable by death and transactions are made through slaps to the face.

When a compulsive shopper makes eyes with a naïve salesgirl, the duo must kindle their spark in secret, especially once their bond begins to raise suspicions.

The short was selected by Barry Jenkins for a world premiere out of Telluride before winning the grand jury prize at AFI Fest, where the jury commended the film for “illustrat[ing] how desire and yearning can clash in a capitalistic society while showcasing queerness as commonplace.” Directors Singh and Musteata most recently took home both the audience award and the Canal+ award at last week’s Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival.

They will now develop their feature project through the Groupe Ouest lab in Brittany. Actors Zar Amir Ebrahimi, Luana Bajrami and Vicky Krieps have all expressed interest in returning. “From the beginning, we knew that this world and these characters were so rich,” says Musteata. “The short is only 36 minutes long, leaving us so much to develop in this very crazy world.