Thirteen films premiered that year, including the locally shot Knightriders starring Ed Harris, Patricia Tallman and Tom Savini.

[7] The 2012 festival featured over 50 films, was 3 weeks long and included visits by Curt Wootton and Chris Preksta.

Festival sidebars for 2012 included Polish Cinema, Women Filmmakers and Coming-of-Age films and had major sponsorships from the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Pittsburgh, the Art Institute, Avis, and Kodak.

Opening night featured three film screenings, Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress directed by William Wyler at the Rangos Giant Cinema, with special guest Catherine Wyler, the filmmaker’s daughter.

The Green Fog an experimental film directed by Guy Maddin screened at Regent Square Theater with the filmmaker present.