3welcome20 June - 1 JulyEIFF 2012 is the result of a months-long quest for the best of world cinema. The diversity of films in our programme reflects a no less wide range of personal visions - since good films are made by artists, not corporations or committees.Across this diversity, we've highlighted some common threads in our Pathways, which EIFF is introducing for the first time this year. I hope these Pathways enable you to make some enjoyable discoveries at EIFF 2012.Every strand of our programme says something about the commitments of EIFF. Our festival seeks to bring an entire world of film to Edinburgh. Our International Competition, which includes (as do our other strands this year) documentaries alongside narrative films, is exceptionally strong and adventurous. In our Directors' Showcase and New Perspectives strands, we present a view of contemporary world cinema that is both deep and broad. This year we also celebrate the energy and passion of new independent filmmaking in the Philippines, exemplary achievements in new Danish documentary, and, in our Looking South strand, the cinematic renaissance under way in Argentina, Chile and Uruguay.EIFF seeks to encourage British filmmaking that is personal, creative and formally daring. I'm delighted to present some remarkable new work from the UK in our Michael Powell Award Competition and our British Scenes strand.EIFF is committed to shining a new light on the cinema of the past. This year we're showing the first complete retrospective outside Japan of Shinji Somai, a director who is deeply sympathetic to the longings and problems of young people and whose astonishing visual designs evoke a world in constant flux. Our other retrospective this year showcases the work of Gregory La Cava, a great innovator of American film comedy.EIFF is committed to experimental and avant-garde cinema, as this year's robust Black Box programme demonstrates. (You'll find more experimental films via the "Pushing Boundaries" Pathway.) We're also committed to the art of animation and to the infinite possibilities of the format of the short film.I hope you'll find in EIFF 2012 the chance to explore the art of film and gain a deeper understanding of what it can bring to our lives.Chris FujiwaraArtistic Directorfor the ultimate eiff live feed get connectedon facebook & twitter@

4Rent-a-Cat 49The Rest of the World 49Sexual Chronicles of a French Family 51¡Vivan las Antipodas!58indexOPENING aNd clOsING GalasKiller Joe 13Brave 13aNImatIONFrom the family-friendly to the deeply dark, the lo-fi to the super-sophisticated: all that's new in animation.THE 99 Unbound 14Animation Panel: Running Out of Film 15International Animation34McLaren Animation 143McLaren Animation 243McLaren Animation 3: For the Family 44Black BOxDaring experiments in the film form, from our innovators of the visual art world.Black Box Shorts 1: Surfaces and Layers 18Black Box Shorts 2: A Sense of Unease 18Black Box Shorts 3: Passing Through 18Black Box Shorts 4: Particles 18Low Definition Control - Malfunctions #0 43The Suburban Trilogy55FOcus ON dENmarkThree films from Denmark that highlight the country's strength in documentary filmmaking.The Ambassador 15Au Pair 16Siblings - For Better or Worse 54NEw PErsPEctIvEsA global array of vital new work by emerging directors.And If We All Lived Together? 15Attractive Illusion 16Black's Game 19Blood of My Blood 19Brake 20California Solo 21Chapiteau Show 21differently, Molussia 22Dress Rehearsal for Utopia 23Either Way 24Evelyn 25Exit Elena 25First Position 27Flicker 27Fred 28Fukushima: Memories of the Lost Landscape 28Gate #5 29Gattu 29Hail 31Here, There31Hospitalité32The Invader 39It's the Earth Not the Moon 39Leave It on the Track 41Mirage 44The Mirror Never Lies 44Modest Reception 45Never Too Late46No Man's Zone 47Nuclear Nation 47The Orator 48Postcards from the Zoo 49Rose 50INtErNatIONal cOmPEtItIONThe EIFF's competitive selection of outstanding new films from around the world.Girimunho 30Here, Then31It Looks Pretty from a Distance 39Kid-Thing 40The King of Pigs 40The Life and Times of Paul the Psychic Octopus 41The Lifeguard 42One.Two.One 48Papirosen 48The Search for Emak Bakia 51Sleepless Night 54Tabu 55The Unspeakable Act58A Woman's Revenge 59mIchaEl POwEll award cOmPEtItIONFirst given at EIFF in 1990, the Michael Powell Award annually honours the best new British feature film. For the first time, documentaries will compete alongside narrative films.Berberian Sound Studio 17Day of the Flowers 21Flying Blind 27Future My Love 29The Imposter 32Life Just Is 41One Mile Away 47Pusher 49Shadow Dancer 52Small Creatures 54dIrEctOrs' shOwcasEClassics of the future, from the international auteurs of our time.7 Days in Havana 14Bestiaire 17Demain? 22Dragon 23God Bless America30Him, Here After31Home for the Weekend 32Isn't Anyone Alive? 39Life without Principle 42Feature films from the UK that introduce new filmmakers, try out nontraditional funding models or venture into unusual thematic areas.Borrowed Time19NFA46Shell 52Unconditional 57BrItIsh scENEsFilms about filmmakers and filmmaking.Anton Corbijn: Inside Out16Don't Expect Too Much22Sodankylä Forever: The Century of Cinema54We Can't Go Home Again59What Is This Film Called Love?59FIlms ON FIlmlOOkING sOuthShowcasing the vitality of filmmaking in Argentina, Chile and Uruguay.Amateur 14El Casamiento 25Los Marziano 42Música Campesina (Country Music) 45Riding Zorro 50Rosalinda + Everybody Says Long Live Bobby Holly 50Edinburgh International Film Festival 2012