Archive

Past & Winners

A record of the films, voices, and evenings that have shaped Dasein so far.

2026, The Inaugural Edition

Being. Becoming. Between.
April 26, 2026Upcider, San Francisco22 films, 7 awards~70 attendees

The first Dasein AI Film Festival brought together international filmmakers, artists, technologists, jury members, and guests for a packed evening of AI cinema. Guided by the Trans-Layer Consciousness Axis, the edition approached humans not as the apex of creation, but as one layer within it.

Award Winners

Dasein Grand PrizeJoinWith.Me (AI Trailer / Proof of Concept), Mike Meier
Best AI-Integrated NarrativeBefore Us. The Silicon Bible , Iskra Pinchuk
Best Experimental VisionMamma Robot , Elettra Fiumi
Best Documentary / Essay FilmI Create as I Speak , David Stout & Robert Campbell
Emergent Artist AwardAHIMSA , Craig Lew
Most Insane Story AwardI Don't Trust Artists , Salvatore Frisina
Audience AwardThe Red Creature , Azzedine Wahbi

Official Selection, 22 Films

Opening / Invocation

I Create as I Speak, David Stout & Robert Campbell · Verdelis & Mycos, Vanessa Rosa

Human Under Pressure

The Sentient Market, MINAI · Before Our Ashes, Julien Kael · JoinWith.Me, Mike Meier

Consciousness Boundaries

Servants in Disguise, Donghun Lee · The Harvest, Serena Jiang · The Ghost Pulse, Weilei Dong · Ash Boat, Mengke Ouyang

Creation & Myth

I Don't Trust Artists, Salvatore Frisina · Mamma Robot, Elettra Fiumi · The Red Creature, Azzedine Wahbi · Syd: Under the Surface, Ed Talavera & Dennis Scholl

Cosmos & Transcendence

Before Us. The Silicon Bible, Iskra Pinchuk · Wires & Wings: Chapter 1, Arkadeep Karmakar · Make a Wish, Hakan Kemixiz · The Seventh Sense, Tslil Na'eem

Philosophical Core

Schrödinger's Umbrella, Katip Kurtuluş · Ahimsa, Craig Lew · The Quiet Year, El Comondear · Recall, Pat Langton

Closing

Whispered Epistle, Kashif Younus Ali

Dasein Continuum, July 2026

Audience Award Screening
July 23, 2026San Francisco17 films

Seventeen short films from artists around the world, exploring memory, identity, imagination, loneliness, freedom, perception, humor, and the changing experience of being alive.

Audience Award Winner

AI-Assisted Movie "274", Zarina Maizel

"One person's faith in you can change your future."

Official Selection

01 · Before Me3:00
Andrew Boer & Jessica Boer
02 · Space Force3:16
Michael Eauslin
03 · AI-Assisted Movie "274"4:50
Zarina Maizel
04 · Shatter1:03
Daniel Silva Jasaui
05 · Never.more3:22
Martin Del Carpio
06 · Honey Paper Planes4:25
Afroza Sultana
07 · The Boy, the Tortoise, and the Copper Cup3:10
Sunil Thankamushy
08 · The Last Watch at Karang4:37
Okan Mertgil
09 · Blue Sadness3:20
Phil Good
10 · The Man Behind the Cartoon3:50
Raphaël Alistair
11 · Holloway4:35
Wilfred Lee
12 · Blue Buddha4:57
Syam Manohar
13 · Look Up.2:20
Giovanni Carta
14 · My Choice3:00
Colette Phair
15 · Wonderland Syndrome3:35
Luke Mazey
16 · The Overcoat5:00
Melike Çelik
17 · Suspenders1:03
George Felner

Dasein: Emergence, September 2026

The Third Screening
September 17, 2026Upcider, San Francisco9 films

Nine short films from around the world, on art, technology, consciousness, and what comes next.

Audience Award Winner

When AI Starts to Give Up on Itself

Directed by Yu Pan, China

Notable Mentions

Notable MentionPsychoPsypher , Eddie Jacobson, Australia
Notable MentionThe Last Crumb , Stéphane Gaudette, Canada

Official Selection

01 · PsychoPsypher2:58
Eddie Jacobson, Australia
02 · SHIFT2:15
Francesca Scrocchia Bruzzesi, Italy
03 · Welcome to Our World7:59
Damien Steck, France
04 · Good Enough?3:03
Frank Martin Dietrich, Germany
05 · The Last Crumb4:08
Stéphane Gaudette, Canada
06 · When AI Starts to Give Up on Itself15:06
Yu Pan, China
07 · My Choice3:00
Colette Phair, United States
08 · Simulation 7349:30
Abduelhamed Alsheikh, Egypt
09 · The Last Director8:42
Inpyo Hong, South Korea

The screening has ended, and the continuum continues.