backport of:
https://github.com/neovim/pynvim/commit/eaa862dec340cad523a691d6441e890b800f8b65
https://github.com/neovim/pynvim/commit/919217d9211adabd7fd57085657096a5060aece4
https://github.com/neovim/pynvim/commit/dd540b08e1a13c89557aa91a122ca6fbc9dfe2ef

--- a/pynvim/compat.py
+++ b/pynvim/compat.py
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@
 
 import sys
 import warnings
-from imp import find_module as original_find_module
 
 
 IS_PYTHON3 = sys.version_info >= (3, 0)
@@ -27,6 +26,8 @@
                 else:
                     newpath.append(element)
             path = newpath
+
+        from imp import find_module as original_find_module
         return original_find_module(fullname, path)
 
     # There is no 'long' type in Python3 just int
--- a/pynvim/plugin/script_host.py
+++ b/pynvim/plugin/script_host.py
@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
 """Legacy python/python3-vim emulation."""
-import imp
 import io
 import logging
 import os
@@ -214,6 +213,7 @@
         return discover_runtime_directories(nvim)
 
     def _find_module(fullname, oldtail, path):
+        import imp
         idx = oldtail.find('.')
         if idx > 0:
             name = oldtail[:idx]
@@ -234,6 +234,7 @@
                 return sys.modules[fullname]
             except KeyError:
                 pass
+            import imp
             return imp.load_module(fullname, *self.module)
 
     class VimPathFinder(object):
--- a/pynvim/plugin/host.py
+++ b/pynvim/plugin/host.py
@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
 """Implements a Nvim host for python plugins."""
-import imp
 import inspect
 import logging
 import os
@@ -9,7 +8,7 @@
 from traceback import format_exc
 
 from pynvim.api import decode_if_bytes, walk
-from pynvim.compat import IS_PYTHON3, find_module
+from pynvim.compat import IS_PYTHON3
 from pynvim.msgpack_rpc import ErrorResponse
 from pynvim.plugin import script_host
 from pynvim.util import format_exc_skip, get_client_info
@@ -23,6 +22,26 @@
 host_method_spec = {"poll": {}, "specs": {"nargs": 1}, "shutdown": {}}
 
 
+def handle_import(directory, name):
+    """Import a python file given a known location.
+    Currently works on both python2 or 3.
+    """
+    try:  # Python3
+        from importlib.util import module_from_spec, spec_from_file_location
+    except ImportError:  # Python2.7
+        import imp
+        from pynvim.compat import find_module
+        file, pathname, descr = find_module(name, [directory])
+        module = imp.load_module(name, file, pathname, descr)
+        return module
+    else:
+        spec = spec_from_file_location(name, location=directory)
+        if spec is not None:
+            return module_from_spec(spec)
+        else:
+            raise ImportError
+
+
 class Host(object):
 
     """Nvim host for python plugins.
@@ -161,8 +180,10 @@
                     has_script = True
                 else:
                     directory, name = os.path.split(os.path.splitext(path)[0])
-                    file, pathname, descr = find_module(name, [directory])
-                    module = imp.load_module(name, file, pathname, descr)
+                    try:
+                        module = handle_import(directory, name)
+                    except ImportError:
+                        return
                 handlers = []
                 self._discover_classes(module, handlers, path)
                 self._discover_functions(module, handlers, path, False)