The Bibi Files

Source: Courtesy of TIFF

The Bibi Files

Toronto screenings of The Bibi Files, the work in progress documentary concerning corruption charges against Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, are going ahead despite efforts by his government to block them.

Alexis Bloom’s film was a late addition to Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) selection by the festival’s head documentary programmer Thom Powers and screens again  on Tuesday evening after the initial presentation on Monday.

Producer Alex Gibney attended the Monday screening. The Bibi Files reveals previously unseen, leaked interrogation footage of Netanyahu, who has been under investigation by Israeli authorities for eight years and is yet to stand trial.

Netanyahu was indicted on breach of trust, bribery, and fraud charges in 2019. The tapes show Netanyahu responding to allegations that he and his wife Sara accepted expensive gifts like champagne and Cuban cigars from Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan, calling them gifts from a friend. He denied receiving jewellery.

While the film is not specifically about the ongoing war in Gaza that has claimed more than 40,000 lives, itself triggered by the Hamas attacks on Israel nearly one year ago that killed 1,200 Israelis, the ongoing conflict looms heavily over the film.

Bloom posits that prolonging the war is a tactic so Netanyahu can avoid conviction.

The Bibi Files features new interviews with former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert, Netanyahu’s former spokesman Nir Hefetz, former Shin Bet leader Ami Ayalon, and investigative journalist Raviv Drucker. Goodfellas handles sales on The Bibi Files.

Gibney, who won the documentary Oscar in 2008 for Taxi To The Dark Side, told the audience after Monday’s screening that Netanyahu’s depth of “moral corruption” was unprecedented in his experience.

Monday night’s screening ended with audience members bearing placards calling for a ceasefire and the release of hostages. The screening was preceded by protestors outside TIFF Lightbox who demanded new elections and an end to the war.

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