Midnight Carnival

​Midnight Carnival tells the story of Andrea Lin, a confused Taiwanese girl in her late teens struggling to find her place in the world. In search of the adventure that is missing from her life, she takes a summer job in America working for a traveling carnival, where she is confronted with the harsh realities of life as a migrant worker. After struggling to connect with her “carney” co-workers, including Julio, a young, free-spirited Mexican man, she must come to terms with her feelings of wanting to belong, yet never feeling at home.​

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AWARD& ​
OFFICIAL
​SELECTION

Awards: Remi Award/ 51st Annual WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival 2018

Official Selection:           
            41st Big Muddy Film Festival 2019
            41st Asian American International Film Festival 2018
            11th Philadelphia Independent Film Festival 2018
            14th Chinese American Film Festival
​            2nd Taiwanese American Film Festival 2018
            3rd Philadelphia Unnamed Film Festival 2018
            4th Reading Film Fest 2018
            2nd Formosa Festival of International Filmmaker Awards 2019 
            8th Ocean City Film Festival 2019
​ 
Invited Screening:        
             ‎Locally Grown Films Showcase 
             Theater Project, Baltimore MD March 2019
             Janet & Walter Sondheim Artscape Prize - Semifinalist Exhibition
             MICA, Baltimore, MD July 2018
             Taiwanese Association of America Minnesota,
​             Mid-Autumn Celebration and Film Screening, Minnesota University, October 2018
​             University Film and Video Association 2017 National Conference
             Los Angeles, CA August 2017
             University Film and Video Association 2016 National Conference
             Las Vegas, NV August 2017 (WIP)
             Philly Film Showcase, Prince Theater, Philadelphia, PA August 2018

Director's Statement 

The inspiration for Midnight Carnival came from my own experiences working in a traveling carnival, which is a popular way for Taiwanese college students to travel and experience America during summer vacation. I was particularly drawn to the carnival job because the idea of a traveling amusement park was beyond the understanding of someone like myself, who comes from such a tiny island as Taiwan.

The carnival was like a mysterious “Neverland” in my imagination, bringing laughter and happiness from place to place. It was not until the night of my arrival that I discovered the harsh realities of the job, like being unable to afford basic amenities on my minimum wage salary, surviving on a diet of unhealthy carnival food, and sharing a cramped room on a bunkhouse trailer with a complete stranger - an ironic living situation in this enormous and wealthy country.

The script for Midnight Carnival was developed with the hope of turning this personal and humbling experience into something universal. At the heart of this story is an immigrant perspective on the “American Dream,” which drives people to come to the US and chase their dreams, hoping to improve their lives and take control of their own destiny. This dream promises a brighter future, but it ultimately also leads to the endless pursuit of acceptance by others, assimilation to a new culture at the expense of one’s own, and acceptance of one’s decision to leave “home.”

​I wanted to tell this story through the point of view of Andrea, who is a character inspired by the experiences of myself as well as the girls I met and worked with during that summer at the carnival. These real-life people shared with me their stories of leaving home and coming to America, where they fought with determination and perseverance for a better life.
Midnight Carnival is not a film that intends to reveal the secret inner lives of “carneys,” but instead is a coming-of age story about a young girl finding herself amidst the unique atmosphere of the chaotic traveling carnival. This story is dedicated to the people who foolishly yet admirably continue to chase their dreams, against all odds. Just like how the carnival will always be re-built at the next destination, so too will our dreams.