The Bibi Files

For the past eight years, Israel’s prime minister Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu has been under investigation by Israeli authorities for corruption charges. His efforts to avoid a legal reckoning have rocked the stability of his country and shaken global affairs. The Bibi Files is an urgent journalistic exposé, based on never-before-seen leaked footage and new interviews with key Israeli figures, including former prime minister Ehud Olmert, Netanyahu’s former spokesman Nir Hefetz, former Shin Bet leader Ami Ayalon, and investigative journalist Raviv Drucker.

The film details the corruption cases that resulted in Netanyahu being indicted for charges of breach of trust, bribery, and fraud in 2019. The cases also implicate his wife Sara and son Yair. Those cases have dragged through the court system without resolution. In the past, Israeli leaders indicted for corruption have resigned, but Netanyahu retained power by forging alliances with staunch right-wingers who now serve as cabinet ministers. Netanyahu attempted to take greater control of the Supreme Court of Israel, which led to large-scale street protests from January to October 2023.

Many Israelis believed that Netanyahu’s attempts to delay his own trial are key to understanding recent events: his tacit approval of expanding Jewish settlements in the West Bank, his controversial handling of hostage negotiations, and military decisions that created a situation the UN Secretary-General called “a moral stain on us all.”

Filmmaker Alexis Bloom has previously delved into politically complex territory as the director of Divide and Conquer: The Story of Roger Ailes and the producer of We Steal Secrets on WikiLeaks. She has experience reporting in both the West Bank and Israel. Alex Gibney serves as a producer, bringing his investigative expertise from a career that’s won him both an Oscar and an Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award. After months of editing, even up until days before the Festival, they bring the film to TIFF as a work-in-progress in search of distribution. Even with elements of post-production still to come, it’s an unforgettable viewing experience.

THOM POWERS