Forbidden Fishing: The Surreal Story of Rabo de Peixe is a Portuguese documentary directed by João Marques and written by Marcos Nine, available on Netflix from October 17, 2025. The film looks back at a real-life event that took place in 2001 in the village of Rabo de Peixe, on the island of São Miguel, when bales of cocaine washed ashore, turning the lives of a fishing community upside down.
Forbidden Fishing: the surreal story of Rabo de Peixe will be available on Netflix from October 17, 2025. The series Forbidden Fishing, a fictional work inspired by these events, is also available on the platform.
Synopsis: In 2001, a fisherman from a modest village on the island of São Miguel was the first to discover a large number of bundles of cocaine washed ashore. The arrival of this exceptionally pure drug disrupted the life of a hitherto isolated community, triggering a wave of addiction and an extensive police investigation. Through multiple testimonies, the documentary explores the repercussions of this true story on the inhabitants of Rabo de Peixe.
In June 2001, the beaches of Rabo de Peixe, on the Portuguese island of São Miguel, were the scene of an unexpected event: hundreds of kilos of cocaine of rare purity washed ashore. This phenomenon, quickly reported by the media, had a considerable impact on the local population, giving rise to an unprecedented social and health crisis. The documentary gives the floor to local residents, law enforcement agencies and first-hand witnesses of this extraordinary episode.
Directed by João Marques and scripted by Marcos Nine, Forbidden Fishing: the surreal story of Rabo de Peixe adopts an immersive, analytical tone. Blending archive footage, eyewitness accounts and reconstructions, the film highlights the contradictions of a community torn between shock, fascination and drama. A cross between social reportage and investigative narrative, the documentary explores the human consequences of an event that turned the Azores upside down.
More than just a news item, the film examines the collective memory of a village marked by poverty and marginality. The testimonies gathered reveal the complexity of reactions to this unexpected windfall, which has become the symbol of a cultural and economic turning point. With a respectful, unsensationalized approach, the documentary puts into perspective the fragility of isolated communities confronted by phenomena beyond their control.
Forbidden Fishing: the surreal story of Rabo de Peixe is a Portuguese documentary by João Marques, written by Marcos Nine. It looks back at the events of 2001 in the Azores, when bales of cocaine turned the life of a fishing village upside down. Available on Netflix from October 17, 2025, it reflects on the social and human consequences of a surreal episode that has become legendary.
This article is based on information available online; we have not yet viewed the film mentioned.
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