Launched in 1981 by Jeannette Paulson Hereniko, the Hawaii International Film Festival (HIFF) was the first film festival in the United States to focus on films from the Asia-Pacific region. Being a bridge between East and West is still its mission, but HIFF now has plenty of company around the world.

What keeps it a stand-out is the diversity of its audience and the uniqueness of its lineup, as I rediscovered at its 37th edition held from Nov. 2 to 12 on Oahu and from Nov. 16 to 19 on the Big Island and Kauai.

With all but a few Oahu screenings held at Regal Dole Cannery Stadium, a multiplex far from the standard tourist route, the audiences were mostly locals of all ages and backgrounds, from kids coming to see the Hiromasa Yonebayashi anime "Mary and the Witch's Flower" to elderly nisei, including World War II veterans, at a screening of the documentary "Proof of Loyalty: Kazuo Yamane and the Nisei Soldiers of Hawaii."