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The liars, directed by Eduardo Braun Costa, was selected for the International Short Film Competition at Sundance 2026

The short film The Liars, directed by Eduardo Braun Costa and produced by Manuel Aguer and Natasha Gurfinkel, has been selected to compete in the International Short Film Competition at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, one of the most significant platforms for independent cinema worldwide. The film will have its world premiere at the festival and will be available to audiences through the event’s online platform.

The film tells the story of Matías and Jaime, two young men abruptly thrust into adulthood as they try to make sense of the world around them. The narrative is set in motion when Jaime is detained by a security guard at a shopping mall, and Matías is forced to ask a stranger to pretend to be his father in order to secure his release. The cast includes Noah Roja, Filippo Carrozza, Esteban Bigliardi, Mariana Chaud, and Pablo Fusco.

The announcement was made by the Sundance Institute, which revealed the 54 short films selected for the 2026 edition of the festival. The works will be screened across eight curated short film programs, showcasing a wide diversity of genres and styles spanning fiction, non-fiction, and animation, and representing different parts of the world. In addition, the festival will feature a special program titled Park City Legacy, which will include standout short films from previous editions, with their filmmakers in attendance.

The 2026 Sundance Film Festival will take place in person from January 22 to February 1 in Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah. Audiences nationwide will also have access to an online program from January 29 to February 1, which will include all films in competition, additional selections of feature films and episodic content, and the short film program presented by Ketel One Vodka. Individual tickets for in-person and virtual screenings will go on sale on January 14 at 10:00 a.m. Mountain Time.

Throughout the festival, audiences will be able to take part in daily screenings, talks, and special events. Premieres will take place between Thursday, January 22, and Tuesday, January 27, in Park City. The 2026 edition will also serve as a significant tribute to Robert Redford and his vision, which has inspired generations of artists and helped redefine contemporary cinema.

According to the Institute, the selection of the 54 short films was drawn from a total of 11,480 submissions, 6,566 of which were international productions. The program brings together works from 22 countries and territories, reinforcing the festival’s global profile. In this context, the inclusion of Los Mentirosos in the international competition represents a notable recognition for the project and its creators.

Kim Yutani, Director of Programming at the Sundance Film Festival, highlighted that the short films selected for 2026 showcase the creative talent that exists within the short format, noting that the stories address themes such as belonging, resilience, and the unexpected ways people confront both the everyday and the extraordinary. Similarly, Senior Programmer Heidi Zwicker emphasized the inventiveness and diversity of the program, which spans a wide range of genres, styles, and narrative worlds.

All the short films:

U.S. FICTION SHORT FILMS

  • Albatross / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Amandine Thomas, Screenwriter and Producer: Gerardo Coello Escalante, Producers: Zach Wechter, Valerie Bush, Carlos López Estrada, Glenn Kiser, Amanda Schneider) — Cast: Georgina Saldaña Wonchee, Patrick O’Brien, Ciro Suárez. World Premiere. Available online for public.

  • Balloon Animals / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Anna Baumgarten, Producer: Katy Wicker) — Cast: Angela Giarratana, Izzi Rojas, Kelsi Roberts. World Premiere. Available online for public.

  • Birdie / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Praise Odigie Paige, Producers: Yety Akinola, Praise Odigie Paige, Noni Limar, Nat Majette) — Cast: Eniola Abioro, Precious Maduanusi, Sheila Chukwulozie. World Premiere. Available online for public.

  • Callback / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Matthew Puccini, Producers: Jeremy Truong, Matt Kazman) — Cast: Justin H. Min, Michael Hsu Rosen, Brayden Raqueño. World Premiere. Available online for public.

  • The Creature of Darkness / U.S.A. (Directors and Screenwriters: Lisa Malloy, Ray Whitaker, Producer: Jennifer Reeder) — Cast: Brielle Woods, Zah’Karri Levy, Erin Whitaker. World Premiere. Available online for public.

  • Crisis Actor / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Lily Platt, Producers: Sophie Seyd, Alex Bendo, Lexi Preiser) — Cast: Sarah Steele, Philip Ettinger. World Premiere. Available online for public.

  • DON’T TELL MAMA / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Chloe Leigh King, Producers: Shaka King, Daniel Croix, Meleokauaapuakea Hamasaki, Oona Roche) — Cast: Uliks Fehmiu, Jordyn Jenkins. Available online for public.

  • Gender Studies / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Jamie Kiernan O’Brien, Producer: Kirsten Pasewaldt) — Cast: Jake Junkins, Fannie Massarsky, Austin Cassel. World Premiere. Available online for public.

  • The Oracle / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: JJ Adler, Producers: Jon Cohen, Jon Wolf) — Cast: Kurt Fuller, Brandon Scott Jones, Luka Jones, Karen Maruyama. World Premiere.

  • Pankaja / U.S.A., India (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Anooya Swamy, Producers: Nakirekanti Swamy, Archana Swamy, Vindhya Gupta) — Cast: Harshini Boyalla, Padmashree G. World Premiere. Available online for public.

  • Prime / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Meagan Coyle, Producer: Blake Winston Rice) — Cast: Katie Mumford, Anita Durst, Campbell Symes, Jacob A. Ware, Mickey Sumner, Tim Heidecker. Available online for public.

  • Radiant Frost / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Hannah Schierbeek, Producer: Trenton Davis) — Cast: Eli Vidis Newman, Taika Augustaitis, Heather Evans. World Premiere. Available online for public.

  • Seniors / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Adam Curley, Producers: Steven Snyder, Harris Gurny) — Cast: Brooke Bloom, Noah Pacht, Matt Walton, Dan Thompson. World Premiere. Available online for public.

  • Stairs / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Riley Donigan, Producers: Anton Vicente Kliot, Sam Callahan) — Cast: Betsey Brown, Will Duncan, Will Janowitz. World Premiere. Available online for public.

  • Taga / U.S.A., Philippines (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Jill Marie Sachs, Producers: Joyce Liu-Countryman, Kristine De Leon, Louise Barretto) — Cast: Kim Adis, Lisa Jacqueline Starrett, Ian S. Peterson, Joey Scoma, Bong Cabrera. Available online for public.

  • Together Forever / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Gregory Barnes, Producers: Alex Bendo, Lexi Preiser, Tyler Walker, Yumeng Han) — Cast: Lindsey Normington, Samuel Sylvester. World Premiere. Available online for public.

INTERNATIONAL FICTION SHORT FILMS

  • Agnes / U.K., Canada (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Leah Vlemmiks, Producer: Priscila Gonçalves) — Cast: Eileen Davies, Clare Holman. World Premiere. Available online for public.

  • Blue Heart / Haiti, France (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Samuel Suffren, Producers: Carine Ruszniewski, Louise Bansard) — Cast: Marie Diana, Arnold Joseph, Samuel Suffren. Available online for public.

  • Candy Bar / Australia (Director and Producer: Nash Edgerton, Screenwriter: Damon Herriman, Producer: Serena Paull) — Cast: Damon Herriman, Andrea Demetriades, Zumi Edgerton, Caitlin Burley. Available online for public.

  • Faux Bijoux / France, Lebanon (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Jessy Moussallem, Screenwriter: Jihad Hojeily, Producers: Jean-Baptiste Savary, Olivier Muller, Gary Farkas, Clément Lepoutre) — Cast: Maria Shmouri, Akram Nayef, Samer El Sayyed, Seidi Haarla, Jarkko Lahti. World Premiere. Available online for public.

  • Fruit (Buah) / Singapore (Director and Screenwriter: Jen Nee Lim, Producer: Ke Ning Lee) — Cast: Tysha Khan, Hana Nadira, Wan Ahmad. North American Premiere.

  • How Brief / Canada (Director: Kelly McCormack, Screenwriter: Tess Degenstein, Producers: Ariel Bond, Lucy McNulty, Jill Orsten) — Cast: Tess Degenstein, Tatiana Maslany, Gray Powell, Susinn McFarlen. World Premiere. Available online for public.

  • I’m Glad You’re Dead Now / France, Greece, Palestine (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Tawfeek Barhom, Producers: Alexandre Perrier, Stylianos Cotionis, Akis Polizos) — Cast: Tawfeek Barhom, Ashraf Barhom. Available online for public.

  • Ivar / Norway (Director: Markus Tangre, Screenwriter: Signe Dammann Anker, Producers: Rebekka Rognøy, Henrik Zwart) — Cast: Tone Mostraum, Robert Skjærstad. World Premiere. Available online for public.

  • Jazz Infernal / Canada (Director and Screenwriter: Will Niava, Screenwriter: Kristelle Laroche, Producers: Zion Lipstein-Saffer, Samuel Caron) — Cast: Ange-Eric N’guessan, Alexis Belhumeur, Kalombo Kasongo. U.S. Premiere. Available online for public.

  • The Liars / Argentina (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Eduardo Braun Costa, Producers: Manuel Aguer, Natasha Gurfinkel) — Cast: Noah Roja, Filippo Carrozza, Esteban Bigliardi, Mariana Chaud, Pablo Fusco. World Premiere. Available online for public.

  • Marga en el DF / Mexico, U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Gabriela Ortega, Producers: Karla Luna Cantú, Natalia Gonzalez, Eugenio Valero, Carlos López Estrada, Valerie Bush, Stacy Perskie) — Cast: Camila Santana, David Palacio, Xabiani Ponce de León, Andrea de Fátima. World Premiere. Available online for public.

  • Norheimsund / Cuba, U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Ana A. Alpizar, Producer: Madeline R. Finkel) — Cast: Paula Massó Varela, Yaité Ruiz, Darianis Palenzuela, Kiriam Gutiérrez. U.S. Premiere. Available online for public.

  • O’Sey Balamma / India (Director and Screenwriter: Raman Nimmala, Producer: Priyanka Krishnan) — Cast: Mani Amma K.L.K., Dhanalakshmi Mudi Bandla. World Premiere. Available online for public.

  • ¡PIKA! / Peru (Director and Producer: Alex Fischman Cárdenas, Screenwriter and Producer: Trout Cohen, Producers: Morella Moret, Etienne Talbot) — Cast: Jose Medina, Teresa Ralli. North American Premiere. Available online for public.

  • Sauna Sickness / Sweden (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Malin Barr) — Cast: Thea Sofie Loch Næss, Adam Lundgren, Magnus Krepper, Sanna Krepper. World Premiere. Available online for public.

  • Without Kelly (Utan Kelly) / Sweden (Director and Screenwriter: Lovisa Sirén, Producer: Siri Hjorton Wagner) — Cast: Medea Strid. North American Premiere.

  • The Worm / Australia (Director and Producer: Tom Noakes, Screenwriter and Producer: Will Goodfellow, Producers: Adrian Pinto, Lucy Gaffy) — Cast: Joe Bird, Heather Mitchell, Susie Porter, Contessa Treffone, Richard Sydenham. World Premiere. Available online for public.

ANIMATION SHORT FILMS

  • 1981 / U.S.A. (Directors, Screenwriters, and Producers: Andy London, Carolyn London) — Cast: Minnie Tonka, Alexei London, Carolyn London, Tony DiMurro. Available online for public.

  • The Bird’s Placebo / Tunisia (Director and Screenwriter: Rami Jarboui, Producers: Sarra Ben Hassen, Ramses Mahfoudh, Lotfi Mahfoudh) — Cast: Yassine Bardaa, Fatrma Falhi, Mohamed Hassine Grayaa. North American Premiere. Available online for public.

  • Busy Bodies / U.S.A (Director and Screenwriter: Kate Renshaw-Lewis, Producer: Eric Ackerman) — Available online for public.

  • Cabbage Daddy / Canada (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Grace An) — Cast: Annette Hong Kim, Grace An, Daniel Heemang Cho, Oliver Lewis, Alex Shawki, Yusef Shawki Chu. World Premiere. Available online for public.

  • Homemade Gatorade / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Carter Amelia Davis) — Cast: Lauren Davis, Carter Amelia Davis, Spencer Hawk, Alosha Robinson, Connett Croghan. Available online for public.

  • HUGS / Belgium (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Nicolas Fong) — North American Premiere. Available online for public.

  • Living with a Visionary / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Stephen P. Neary, Producer: Mireia Vilanova) — Cast: James Cromwell, Katherine LaVictoire. World Premiere. Available online for public.

  • Mangittatuarjuk (The Gnawer of Rocks) / Canada (Director, Screenwriter, Producer: Louise Flaherty, Screenwriter: Neil Christopher) — Cast: Nellie Enuaraq, Joan Joanas, Andrea Flaherty.

  • Once in a Body / Colombia, U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: María Cristina Pérez, Producers: Mauricio Cuervo, Mireia Vilanova, Katherine Cabrera, James Belfer, Adam Belfer) — Cast: Sara Isabella Martínez. Available online for public.

  • Paper Trail / U.S.A. (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Don Hertzfeldt) — World Premiere.

  • Sorrow Doesn’t Sleep at Night / Chile (Directors and Screenwriters: Josefina Montino, Martín André, Screenwriter: Jacobi Hadley, Producer: Jacinta del Real) — Cast: Raimundo Bucher. Available online for public.

  • UM / France (Director and Screenwriter: Nieto, Producer: Nicolas Schmerkin) — Cast: Michiko Takahashi. U.S. Premiere. Available online for public.

NONFICTION SHORT FILMS

  • The Baddest Speechwriter of All / U.S.A. (Directors and Producers: Ben Proudfoot, Stephen Curry, Producer: Erick Peyton) — World Premiere. Available online for public.

  • The Boys and the Bees / U.S.A. (Director and Producer: Arielle C. Knight, Producer: Sean Weiner) — Available online for public.

  • The Chimney Sweeper / U.S.A. (Director and Producer: Jack Raese) — Available online for public.

  • Going Sane: The Rise and Fall of the Center For Feeling Therapy / U.S.A. (Director: Joey Izzo, Producers: Adam Ridley, Jordan Londe, Ryan Ridley) — World Premiere. Available online for public.

  • La Tierra del Valor (The Home of the Brave) / U.S.A. (Director and Producer: Cristina Costantini, Producer: Alfie Koetter) — World Premiere. Available online for public.

  • Luigi / U.S.A. (Director and Producer: Liza Mandelup, Producer: Lauren Cioffi) — Available online for public.

  • Some Kind of Refuge / U.S.A. (Director and Producer: Alexandra Kern, Producer: Colin Cadarette) — World Premiere. Available online for public.

  • STILL STANDING / U.S.A. (Directors and Producers: Victor Tadashi Suarez, Livia Albeck-Ripka) — World Premiere. Available online for public.

  • Tuktuit : Caribou / Canada (Director, Screenwriter, and Producer: Lindsay Aksarniq McIntyre) — Available online for public.

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Selecciones: Locarno 2025 (Ganadora Mejor Dirección) – DocLisboa – Tallinn Black Nights – Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival – Viennale – El Gouna Film Festival – Seminici