Asian Pacific film fest returns

The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival returns Thursday for a weeklong showcase of works from across the Asian diaspora.

In its 31st year, the fest also will plug into the conversation about diversity in Hollywood, according to David Magdael, co-director of the festival.

“Everybody in this town right now, they’re all talking about diversity, diversity, diversity, but it seems that everyone’s talking about diversity in terms of black and white,” Magdael said. “I think diversity comes in different hues, different genders, different genres, and the thing that we have always done at the festival is celebrated diversity, but we call it now celebrating normalcy.”

Magdael noted that female filmmakers are well represented at this year’s gathering: Of the 16 feature films in competition, half are directed or co-directed by women.

The festival began Thursday at the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center with the world premiere of “Everything Before Us,” Wesley Chan and Philip Wang ’s relationship drama about a high-school couple headed to different colleges and a pair of thirtysomething exes whose paths cross again.

The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival runs through April 30 in downtown L.A., Koreatown and West Hollywood; www .asianfilmfestla.org.