On the lines of the IFFK, the Chalachitra Academy also organises the International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala.

The activities of the societies included screening of classic films from around the world, conducting group discussions on various aspects of cinema and circulating pamphlets on renowned filmmakers.

The FIPRESCI (Fédération Internationale de la Presse Cinématographique) and the Netpac (Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema) have also recognised the festival.

[23] Hungarian filmmaker Béla Tarr was presented the Lifetime Achievement Award by Kerala's Minister of Culture V. N. Vasavan.This edition of the IFFK witnessed a change at the helm, as Deepika Suseelan took over as artistic director from Bina Paul.

[27] Adoor Gopalakrishnan received the Lifetime Achievement Award on behalf of Jean Luc Godard, who pioneered the French New Wave film movement.

The festival began with the guests and audience observing a minute's silent prayer in honour of South African leader Nelson Mandela.

Amos Gitai's Ana Arabia, an Israeli movie shot in an 85-minute-long single sequence was the opening film at the festival.

Veteran Mexican filmmaker Arturo Ripstein chaired the jury panel of the Competition Section, which also comprised Thai film maker Aditya Assarat, South African director Khalo Matabane and south Indian actor Gautami.

[38] It was inaugurated by Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy with a special screening of Alfred Hitchcock's silent film The Ring (1927), with the accompaniment of live orchestration of a new score created by the sextet led by British Jazz artiste Soweto Kinch.

[41] IFFK 2012 was appreciated for improved viewing experiences it provided through better theatre atmosphere and high-tech sound and visual systems.

The film, an adaptation of renowned writer Salman Rushdie's masterpiece novel Midnight's Children, had its Asian premiere at the IFFK.

Another controversy developed when Jayan K. Cherian's Papilio Buddha was removed from the programme when it was alleged by the Kerala Police that it became known that continued inclusion of the film in the festival might trigger major trouble in the city due to its alleged negative remarks on Mahatma Gandhi and sympathy with Dalit.

It was opened by the state of Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy with actress Jaya Bachchan as the guest of honor.

[47] There were various film discussion sessions with Werner Herzog, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Julie Dash, Maria Novaro, Juliane Lorenz and many prominent Indian filmmakers.

The competition jury included: Chairperson Bahman Ghobadi (Iran), Balufu Bakupa Kanyinda (Congo), Prassanna Vithnarage (Sri Lanka), Mamta Shankar (India) and Hala Khalili (Egypt).

[51] Lucia Murat (Brazil) headed the jury, which also consisted of Samira Makhmalbaf (Iran), Sitora Alieva (Russia), Allain Jalladeau (France) and Jabbar Patel (India).

The juries representing Fipresci (International Federation of Film Critics)were Chris Fujiwara, Barbara Lorey and Manoj Barjpujari.

The NETPAC (Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema) nominated juries were Sudhir Mishra, Freddie Wong and Max Tesseir.

The festival was opened by actor Kamal Haasan; Miguel Littin (Chilean director), MA Baby was the guest of honor.

Other notable attendees included: the Minister for Cultural Affairs, state of Kerala; and actors Naseeruddin Shah and Mohanlal.

Arjunan, playback singer S. Janaki, art director S. Konnanad, actors KPAC Lalitha, K. R. Vijaya, T. R. Omana, Santhadevi and makeup man Velappan.

[55] The jury consisted of Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi, African actor and director Naky Sy Savene, Polish scenarist Agnieska Holland, actor and producer Naseeruddin Shah and Cuban Film Academy director Rigoberto Lopez.

Journalist Sheila Johnston heads the Fipresci jury which consisted of Turkish critic Cüneyt Cebenoyan and documentary filmmaker Varala Anand.