“When Tomatoes Met Wagner,” a documentary by Marianna Economou, will open at the Berlin International Film Festival next month, telling the tale of an initiative to revive a native Greek fruit – and a village hit by the crisis.

Originally titled “The Seeds of Columbus”, “When Tomatoes Met Wagner” chronicles an initiative by two cousins in the village of Ilias in central Greece to join forces with a group of local women to help them cultivate a species of tomato whose seeds have been in their families’ care for generations.

The farmers discover that playing classical music for the plants helps them go from strength to strength, as does the initiative, which gives the small rural village a much-needed boost as it expands to exports of tomato sauces to Europe, the United States and Japan.