When Tomatoes Met Wagner

Encircled by mountains, the plain of Thessaly has always provided food for Greek farmers. But recently the region has hit rock bottom due to the economic crisis. In the middle of the plain lies Elias, a farming village of 33 inhabitants, with no shops, no school or even a priest. This is where a farmer named Christos has decided to turn over his land to the organic cultivation of tomatoes. In the back of his cousin Alexandros’ house these tomatoes are then pasteurised and hand-packaged by village women as tomato purée and meals. Soon, the little jars are finding their way to the shelves of organic shops across the world. This film follows events as business takes off and the tiny village opens up to the world. A tale about an ordinary rural community where things begin to happen in an extraordinary way. After centuries of insular existence, everything is stirred up by the humble tomato, and the village's 33 elderly inhabitants find themselves having to respond to a new reality. If this weren't enough, Alexandros insists on playing Wagner in the tomato fields; he also uses stories and local myths to market their products and convince people from all over the world to visit Elias. (Berlinale)