Regional Competiton

For two decades, the Enache family, nine kids and their parents, lived in a shack in the wilderness of the Bucharest Delta: an abandoned water reservoir and one of the biggest urban nature reserves in the world, with lakes and hundreds of species of animals and rare plants. When the authorities decide to reclaim this rare urban ecosystem, the Enache family is evicted and told to resettle in the city, a reality they know nothing about. Kids that used to spend their days in nature, have to learn about city life, go to school instead of swimming in the lake, and swap their fishing rods for mobile phones. Their identity is put to the test and transformed, along with their sense of freedom and family ties. Ciorniciuc's debut is a thoughtful study of gentrification, seen through the eyes of a family trying to adapt to the new life they never asked for. Is it better to go back to their "paradise lost," where life is free yet harsh, or become part of the society that provides comforts but comes with pressure and conflict attached?