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In Salento, in the south of Puglia, millions of olive trees die. Like huge cemeteries, abandoned olive groves dominate the peninsula. Millennial giants fall victim to an insidious drought. In 2013, a worldwide feared bacterium, Xylella Fastidiosa, was discovered.

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At the end of 2017, 54,000 hectares and 6.5 million olive trees were affected. With them, the livelihood and identity of the Salento people is gradually dying. Ecodrama started long before Xylella. It is representative of changes that can be observed in many places in the world: extinction of species, degradation of biodiversity, poisoned soils, water shortages, desertification...

The film shows the feelings and fears of people who find themselves between the fronts of big producers, politics, the EU, environmental activists and science.

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Filming began in autumn 2017 with the intention of accompanying people in the face of the environmental disaster with a video camera. After several visits over a period of almost three years, a picture was created piece by piece with numerous chapters that are organically linked to one another.

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"Working on the film was a journey with numerous stations and meetings, on which I learned a lot about nature, plants and animals. And about people, their destructive influence on the environment often knows no bounds. Despite all this I have found persons, who have not lost their hope".

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In the past, the author René Worni was a journalist for the Swiss press and for various NGOs. He was co-founder and part of several theater and music projects. He has made several documentary short films. “C'era una volta l'albero” is his first documentary feature film. 

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The film received a nomination for the "Opera Prima" award (best debut film) at the 56th Solothurn Film Festival 2021. It was awarded with the "Green Award" at the Apulia Web Fest 2021 in Lecce.

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