Documentary criticizes Benjamin Netanyahu's premiere after failed court challenge

In one of the most explosive documentary premieres in TIFF history, a film sharply critical of Benjamin Netanyahu screened before a packed house in Toronto on Monday night, despite a last-ditch attempt by the Israeli prime minister to block its release.

The Bibi Fileproduced by Alex Gibney and directed by Alexis Bloom, includes never-before-seen video of Netanyahu's interrogation by Israeli police on corruption charges – an investigation that led to Netanyahu's indictment in 2019. In footage leaked to Gibney late last year, Netanyahu can be seen clashing with interrogators and denying improperly accepting expensive gifts from wealthy supporters, including Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan and Las Vegas casino magnate Sheldon Adelson. Video of the police questioning of Milchan, Adelson, and Netanyahu's wife Sara and eldest son Yair was also leaked to Gibney and is featured prominently in the documentary.

On Monday, the Jerusalem District Court rejected an attempt by Netanyahu to remove the film from the TIFF program. The prime minister's lawsuit said investigative journalist Raviv Drucker, who appears in the film and is one of the documentary's producers, violated Israeli law by leaking the video. However, there is no evidence that Drucker was behind the leak, and after the premiere, Gibney made it clear that he would not name the person who gave him the material. He only said: “A source came to me and said, 'I have some videotapes' – the interrogation videos you saw here – 'and I think you would be interested in them and maybe you could make a film about them.' And that was in late 2023. I got them. I watched them and was very impressed.” He said he then reached out to Bloom, with whom he has worked on previous projects, to make the film.

In the video shown in the documentary, a tense Netanyahu sits rigidly behind a desk facing at least three interrogators. When asked whether he pressured friends to reward him with premium champagne and top-of-the-line cigars ($1,000 a case) and whether he knew that Milchan had given his wife a $42,000 jeweled bracelet, he frequently replies, “I don't remember.” (Later in the film, Netanyahu's friends note his phenomenal memory for names and details, implicitly raising questions about his honesty during interrogation.)

For the film, Bloom interviewed journalist Drucker, as well as other prominent Israeli figures who oppose Netanyahu's right-wing policies, as well as former members of the prime minister's domestic staff and even a longtime friend-turned-critic who said of Netanyahu, “He lies all the time.” These observers not only accuse Netanyahu of gross corruption, but also claim that he sought a highly controversial reform of the Israeli judiciary in order to evade justice himself. The film suggests that massive public protests against the planned judicial reform distracted Israel from its defensive posture and left the country vulnerable to Hamas's brutal surprise attack on October 7.^th.

Several observers in the film claim that Netanyahu has pursued a policy of “total victory” over Hamas, in part to appease far-right members of his cabinet whose support he needs to hold his governing coalition together. Most damningly, the documentary suggests that the prime minister has cynically abandoned the hostages still held by Hamas, choosing continued attacks over ceasefire negotiations that could lead to the hostages' release. “A perpetual war is in his interest,” says one critic in the film – meaning the longer Israel stays at war, the less likely Netanyahu is to face prosecution. Another observer notes, “He wants instability. In a way, he needs it.”

As if that portrait wasn't negative enough, Bloom told the TIFF audience that she had heard from many other Netanyahu insiders who had denounced him in private.

“I have spoken to people very close to Netanyahu, his former chiefs of staff, former heads of the Shin Bet [Israeli intelligence organization]all these very muscular guys who were in very high positions, who talked to me for hours, for hoursunofficially, several times… They said, 'It's terrible what he's doing. He's so dishonest,'” Bloom recounted. “They had such strong feelings about Netanyahu's dishonesty as a person and as a public official that they sat with me in the King David Hotel in Jerusalem and talked to me about it for three hours – and then said nothing in public. I think that's a kind of [derogation] of duty.” This final remark by the director earned applause from the audience.

As the film's credits rolled, a portion of the audience (perhaps a third to a half of those present) rose and gave him a standing ovation. Many in the audience seemed to sympathize with the film's criticism of Netanyahu; one man interrupted the question-and-answer session by saying, “Take this film and drop it on Israel. Otherwise, I'm afraid people there won't be able to see it.”

Others seemed to disagree with a comment by Gibney, who said of Netanyahu, “I have never seen such deep moral depravity as in this man.” Upon hearing this, a man in the audience shouted, “By the way, he has not been found guilty yet.” [Netanyahu is supposed to go on trial on the corruption charges next year, although the film notes his legal team is trying to get it postponed because the prime minister is fighting a war]”He has not been found guilty yet,” the man repeated, “so please be precise and accurate. He has not been found guilty yet.”

Gibney, far from a shy wallflower, replied, “I think I said 'moral corruption.'” Thom Powers, TIFF's senior documentary programmer who moderated the Q&A, then chimed in and said, “May I just ask for quiet in the theater?”

The Bibi File (the title refers to Netanyahu's nickname “Bibi”) is looking for a distributor. Technically, the film was said to be a work in progress, but when he introduced it, Powers described it as complete, aside from color correction and other relatively cosmetic post-production work. Bloom worked on the film until the last moment, adding excerpts from Netanyahu's recent speech to a joint session of the U.S. Congress. She said she would consider possible revisions now that the film has had its world premiere.

“I would say that Alexis and the team put this movie together very quickly under tremendous pressure and at a high pace,” Gibney noted. “And then there's a moment where you want to look at the movie and say, 'Could this be a little different? Could this be a little different?' … But it's up to Alexis to decide exactly how or if the movie is going to change.”

Gibney said he wanted The Bibi File to premiere at TIFF so that potential buyers can see it in a festival atmosphere. He expressed hope that the film will be picked up shortly and released immediately.