'Bibi Files': Film On Netanyahu Corruption ‘Scandal’ Which Can’t Be Shown In Israel Premieres In Toronto

The Highly anticipated ‘The Bibi Files’ premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. The unfinished documentary includes never-seen-before footage of Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu. The footage in the film was captured during police interrogations of Prime Minister Netanyahu, his wife Sarah, son Yair, close friends, confidantes, and former household staff, conducted between 2016 and 2018.

According to a recent Variety report, these recordings were leaked to producer Alex Gibney in 2023.

The film shows many instances in which PM answered: ‘I don’t know’ or ‘I don’t remember’

The film has been directed by Alexis Bloom, with producers including Bloom, Alex Gibney, and Israeli Channel 13 reporter Raviv Drucker.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu requested a Jerusalem court on September 9 to prevent the release of footage showing him being questioned for an upcoming documentary. However, just a few hours later, a judge denied his petition.

Netanyahu contended that journalist Raviv Drucker, one of the film's producers, planned to release footage from a police interrogation without court authorization, which is a criminal offense in Israel punishable by up to a year in prison.

Netanyahu has been charged with fraud and breach of trust in three separate cases filed in 2019, and with bribery in one of these cases. The proceedings are ongoing and are expected to take years to conclude, particularly due to delays following the suspension of the first trial and other non-urgent cases because of Hamas's unexpected October 7 incursion and the subsequent Gaza war.

The Israeli PM has denied charges, claiming they are part of a fabricated witch-hunt led by the police and state prosecution, and facilitated by a weak attorney general.

During a Q&A session in Toronto following the screening of The Bibi Files, which includes new footage of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s corruption interrogations, directors Alex Gibney and Alexis Bloom highlighted ongoing legal issues that have left the film incomplete and unable to be shown in Israel.

Gibney explained that while some of the film's content had previously been leaked and discussed in the Israeli press, the new footage presents a legal challenge. He noted that, due to privacy protection laws, screening the film in Israel is prohibited.

He also mentioned that revealing the source of the leaked footage could endanger their freedom, if they were ever identified.

Ahead of the film’s premiere, pro-ceasefire protesters rallied against Netanyahu, calling for a deal to free 101 hostages in Gaza.

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