Out of the Wilderness The documentary Acasa, My Home follows the challenges faced by a Romanian family displaced from their home on newly preserved land. By Jean Oppenheimer W hen award-winning broadcast journalist Radu Ciorniciuc needed a break from hard-hitting investigative work and set his sights on a more upbeat piece for the 2016 Christmas holidays, the Romanian reporter had no way of knowing that a small conservation story would lead him to a family living in the wilderness on the edge of a bustling city - and mark his debut as both a cinematographer and feature director. Acasa, My Home premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, winning the World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Cinematography - an accolade Ciorniciuc shared with co-cinematographer Mircea Topoleanu. It had been Topoleanu's first time shooting a motion picture as well. MAY 2021 / 43 p.42-47 Acasa My Home V4 DONE.indd 43 4/5/21 11:13 PM