When tomatoes met Wagner
Elias, a small farming village in central Greece, is on the verge of disappearing. But two cousins team up with five village grannies to revive the cultivation of the ancient tomato seeds passed down for generations. With Wagner’s music echoing in the fields, they overcome the odds to export small jars of organic tomato recipes worldwide. This humorous and bittersweet film follows their unlikely journey, exploring themes of resilience, reinvention, and the enduring power of human relationships in a changing world threatened by global markets.
Year
2019
Category
Documentary
Duration
72’
Director
Marianna Economou
CINEMATOGRAPHY
Marianna Economou, Argyris Tsepelikas, Dimitris Kordelas
EDITING
Evgenia Papageorgiou
PRODUCERS
Spiros Mavrogenis (Stefi/Lynx), Rea Apostolidou & Yuri Averof (ANEMON)
CO-PRODUCTION
Greek Film Centre, Cosmote TV, ERT. With the support of Creative Europe
Distribution
Rise and Shine World Sales, Cinedoc
Cinema distribution
Spain, Mexico, France, Greece, London, ARTE, Cosmote History Channel
Premiere: BERLINALE 2019
OSCARS 2020 – contender for the Best International Feature Film Award
Best Documentary award of the Hellenic Film Academy
Prix Europa nomination
Visions du Reel, opening film
Selected for UNESCO’s ‘1001 documentary films’ collection
Selected by Cine Onu (UN)
Awards
•Fipresci Critics Award - Thessaloniki Doc Festival|•Prix Bartok and Prix Monde en Regards - Festival international Jean Rouch|•Audience Award - Heartland Int Film Festival|•Arab Critics Awards for European films - Cairo Film Festival|•People's Choice Award - Houston Greek Film Festival|•Best Feature Documentary and Best Director - DocFest Chalkida|•Audience Award - Provinziale Film Festival|•Honorable Mention - Aegean Docs|•Documentary Audience Award - 9th Aegean Film Festival|•Cinemambulante Award - Euganea Film Festival|•Grand Prix - Baikal International Film Festival|•Prix Special du Jury - Grecdoc|•Best Documentary - Alimenterre Festival|•Prix du Festival 2023 - Festival du Cinéma des Utopies Réelles
Festivals
Sarajevo Film festival, Sydney International Film festival, DOK fest Munchen, CineDOC Tbilisi, DocsBarcelona, DocAviv , Montreal Cinéma sous les Etoiles, Lemesos Int Doc Festival, New Zealand, Dublin Doc Fest , Cinemed, Prague Doc Fest, Fipadoc, DocPoint etc.
Press & Reviews
*“It is wonderfully written and shot and captures so much of the enduring spirit of our patriotes, through struggles and triumphs, with humor and pathos"*|Jim Gianopulos - Chairman & CEO - Paramount Pictures Corporation || *“In Marianna Economou’s delightful documentary, a small and humble subject — tomato cultivation — is elevated into a multifaceted, bittersweet, and incisive commentary not only on the modern era but above all on the attitude toward life we take in the face of critical dilemmas.”*|Athens Voice || *“It is one of those rare documentaries that manage to combine a universally relevant topic with likeable, unique protagonists in an audience-pleasing but honest manner."* |CineEuropa || *“The poetry of her camera, her inventive editing, but above all her sensitivity and power of observation, make Economou's documentary break free from easy formulas."* |Flix || *“Charming and quietly political"* |Sydney festival || *“A tale about an ordinary rural community where things begin to happen in an extraordinary way."*|Berlinale programme





