Carnival
A young, visually impaired woman — accompanied only by her guide dog — sits in a café, reading a novel as she waits for the next bus. Suddenly, a pay phone begins to ring loudly outside. Led by her trusty friend, the young woman then experiences something that can only be described as magical.
Director Statement
CARNIVAL is a story about identity, imagination, and those small moments that normally pass us by. Our protagonist finds an escape in her novel while waiting anxiously at a small café in the middle of nowhere, and while she’s engrossed in that magical world, magical events begin to happen around her. I wanted her guide dog to act as an extension of herself, feeling and sensing events that she may not realize at first. Through her trusty companion and her own imagination, she is able to enter a place that is real enough for her. With an ethereal and futuristic score, this piece explores the idea of what “reality” means to each of us, and how we interact with the worlds we create in our minds.
Lia Wang
Lia Wang is a current second-year Screenwriting Fellow at the American Film Institute Conservatory. A relatively new transplant to Los Angeles, Wang lived in New York City after college, working in acquisitions and development for a time at A24, the studio behind films such as MOONLIGHT and LADY BIRD. She is dedicated to writing and directing compelling narratives that reflect contemporary and diverse themes. Most recently, she placed as a finalist in the ScreenCraft Drama Contest and a quarterfinalist in the Atlanta Film Festival Screenplay Competition with her feature screenplay, HILLS OF GOLD.
