Fernando Grostein Andrade
In 2011, he released the documentary Breaking the Taboo, which discusses alternative policies for the failed war on drugs and has the Ex-President of Brazil, Fernando Henrique Cardoso, as its anchor. The film features statements from Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter, Paulo Coelho, Dráuzio Varella, Gael Garcia Bernal and 4 other former heads of state from countries such as Colombia, Switzerland, Norway and Mexico. The film caused ample repercussions in Brazil, promoting the debate in the media, schools and even in the Brazilian congress, with a speech by senator Eduardo Suplicy. Veja Magazine published a 9-page article on the film calling it "a meticulously crafted report made over two years with 168 interviews from personalities, some of them of the same caliber as mentioned above, and others less known, but no less credible." The television show Fantástico of Rede Globo, Brazil's largest TV network, aired an 8-minute report on the film and later polled the viewers on the subject, 57% voted in favor of legalization. Trip magazine published a cover story on the film. Filmed in 18 cities around the world, the interviewed subjects include premiers, policemen, inmates and rehabilitated addicts who help compose a board that debates and consolidates the films argument. The Result of an ample research process, which includes 168 interviewed subjects, Breaking the Taboo was filmed in 18 cities around the World with the scenery varying from FARC poppy plantations in the Colombian Jungle to Amsterdam Coffeeshops and the American Capital. The Newspaper Folha de São Paulo considered that the film had "A consistent argumentative route, not necessarily aligned with common sense". The film also had repercussions in the English newspaper The Guardian: "The documentary highlights the perils of debating an issue so clouded by ideology and calls for an end to the stigmatization of the debate. It boasts the support of several former world leaders including Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter." The documentary is currently being adapted for the American and European market in partnership with the production house Current Sponge, led by Sam Branson, son of the entrepreneur Richard Branson.