Past & Winners
A record of the films, voices, and evenings that have shaped Dasein so far.
2026 — The Inaugural Edition
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
Official Selection — 22 Films
I Create as I Speak — David Stout & Robert Campbell · Verdelis & Mycos — Vanessa Rosa
The Sentient Market — MINAI · Before Our Ashes — Julien Kael · JoinWith.Me — Mike Meier
Servants in Disguise — Donghun Lee · The Harvest — Serena Jiang · The Ghost Pulse — Weilei Dong · Ash Boat — Mengke Ouyang
I Don't Trust Artists — Salvatore Frisina · Mamma Robot — Elettra Fiumi · The Red Creature — Azzedine Wahbi · Syd: Under the Surface — Ed Talavera & Dennis Scholl
Before Us. The Silicon Bible — Iskra Pinchuk · Wires & Wings: Chapter 1 — Arkadeep Karmakar · Make a Wish — Hakan Kemixiz · The Seventh Sense — Tslil Na'eem
Schrödinger's Umbrella — Katip Kurtuluş · Ahimsa — Craig Lew · The Quiet Year — El Comondear · Recall — Pat Langton
Whispered Epistle — Kashif Younus Ali
Dasein Continuum — July 2026
Seventeen short films from artists around the world, exploring memory, identity, imagination, loneliness, freedom, perception, humor, and the changing experience of being alive.
AI-Assisted Movie "274" — Zarina Maizel
Official Selection
Andrew Boer & Jessica Boer
Michael Eauslin
Zarina Maizel
Daniel Silva Jasaui
Martin Del Carpio
Afroza Sultana
Sunil Thankamushy
Okan Mertgil
Phil Good
Raphaël Alistair
Wilfred Lee
Syam Manohar
Giovanni Carta
Colette Phair
Luke Mazey
Melike Çelik
George Felner
The screening has ended, but the continuum continues.
Dasein Continuum Audience Award
🏆 DASEIN CONTINUUM | Audience Award Winner
Thank you to everyone who joined us on July 23, 2026 in San Francisco for an evening of AI cinema, conversation, and reflection.
After audience voting, we’re delighted to announce the winner of the Dasein Continuum Audience Award:
🎬 AI-Assisted Movie “274”
Directed by Zarina Maizel 🇦🇩
A deeply moving story about a young girl whose life is forever changed because one person believed in her.
“One person’s faith in you can change your future.”
Congratulations to Zarina Maizel on this well-deserved recognition, and thank you to every filmmaker who trusted Dasein with their work. Every film contributed something unique to the evening, and we’re grateful to everyone who attended, reflected, voted, and helped build this growing creative community.
Dasein AI Film Festival 2026 — Award Winners
The award winners are here.
A night shaped by layered perception, bold voices, and shared presence has found its form. Each award reflects a different frequency within the same field, from emerging voices to conceptual depth, from experimentation to narrative rupture.
🏆 Dasein Grand Prize
JoinWith.Me (AI Trailer / Proof of Concept) — Mike Meier
🤖 Best AI-Integrated Narrative
Before Us. The Silicon Bible — Iskra Pinchuk
🎨 Best Experimental Vision
Mamma Robot — Elettra Fiumi
🎥 Best Documentary / Essay Film
I Create as I Speak — David Stout & Robert Campbell
🌱 Emergent Artist Award
AHIMSA — Craig Lew
🧨 Most Insane Story Award
I Don’t Trust Artists — Salvatore Frisina
👁 Audience Award
The Red Creature — Azzedine WAHBI
The Audience Award was determined through a live vote during the screening. The result was a three-way tie; however, as the other top-voted films were already recognized in major categories, The Red Creature was selected to expand the circle of recognition while preserving the integrity of the audience’s voice.
This marks the first chapter of Dasein.
Monthly, theme-based gatherings will follow, continuing the exploration of consciousness, storytelling, and emerging forms of cinema.
Photos and videos from the event will be available soon.
Thank you for being part of this beginning.
More to come.
These films were officially screened at the Dasein AI Film Festival 2026, bringing together artists from around the world to explore consciousness, identity, technology, mythology, creation, and the changing condition of being.
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.
Twenty-two films. One shared exploration of what it means to create, perceive, transform, and exist.
Thank you to every filmmaker who trusted Dasein with their work.
The screening has ended, but the continuum continues.