Audiences got a look at Benjamin Netanyahu’s leaked police interrogation videos for the first time at last night’s world premiere of The Bibi Files.
The urgent and incendiary documentary played at the Toronto film festival despite the Israeli prime minister’s attempts to block its screening.
“I’ve never seen the depth of moral corruption as I’ve seen in this man,” Gibney, the director of Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, told the audience following the screening.
The interrogation videos shown in the film were recorded by police between 2016 and 2018 before they formally brought charges of corruption against Netanyahu.
Netanyahu is heard minimizing the champagne and cigars as simply gifts from a friend, while denying knowledge of the jewelry.
Netanyahu is also seen vehemently denying allegations that he signed off on regulations favouring the Israeli media mogul Shaul Elovitch.
The incriminating evidence in the interrogation videos has already been leaked and reported on by Israeli media.
According to Gibney, Israeli law grants privacy to subjects who have been photographed in official proceedings, which would make publication of the footage illegal.
“Even in the interrogation videos, you see performances,” says Gibney.
The Bibi Files is screening at the Toronto film festival and is seeking distribution This article was amended on 10 September 2024.
At The Bibi Files’ world premiere last night, viewers saw for the first time the police interrogation footage that had been leaked and featured Benjamin Netanyahu. Despite efforts to prevent its screening, the Israeli prime minister’s urgent and explosive documentary was screened at the Toronto film festival.
Before the film, which shows Netanyahu angrily rejecting accusations of bribery and corruption, was shown to an agitated and vociferous audience—many of whom were holding signs that read “Deal Now” and “Bring Them Home,” alluding to the hostages being held in Gaza—Israeli courts denied Netanyahu’s request.
The film, which is helmed by Alexis Bloom and produced by Alex Gibney, presents a compelling and convincing argument that viewers may already be familiar with: Netanyahu is extending the horrific conflict in Gaza, which has claimed over 40,000 lives, in order to avoid potential jail time due to allegations of corruption. It all comes down to his survival in a humanitarian crisis that defies international law.
The documentary claims that before October 7, when a source gave Gibney access to the leaked videos, Bloom started working on it. In that time, Netanyahu’s attorney filed a move to postpone the trial, which is now set for December. The attorney states that the war is still going on.
After the filming of Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, director Gibney addressed the audience, saying, “I’ve never seen the depth of moral corruption as I’ve seen in this man.”. A viewer who seemed to be mostly pro-Israel censored Gibney’s remarks, asking the producer to clarify that Netanyahu was still not guilty. The attempts to take over the story, both on and off screen, didn’t stop there.
Before they formally filed charges of corruption against Netanyahu, the police took the interrogation videos that are featured in the movie between 2016 and 2018. In the video, the prime minister responds to claims made by Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan that he and his spouse accepted pricey champagne, Cuban cigars, and jewelry. While denying knowledge of the jewelry, Netanyahu is heard downplaying the champagne and cigars as mere gifts from a friend.
Additionally, footage shows a number of witnesses who worked for Milchan and Netanyahu interacting with police. According to what they depict, Netanyahu and his wife Sara regularly demand gifts in return for favors. One such favor that Milchan benefited from was the extension of the marginal tax break. Netanyahu claims that the state, not Milchan, benefited from his unusual intervention over the tax break. Although he politely requests that police not use the word “bribery” in one passage, the producer of LA Confidential corroborated a large portion of the witness testimony.
Furthermore, Netanyahu is seen angrily disputing claims that he approved rules that favored Israeli media mogul Shaul Elovitch. The prime minister accuses Nir Hefetz, one of his top aides, of lying on several occasions and in a dramatic manner for expressing this opinion. According to other witnesses, Elovitch returned the alleged kindness by giving Netanyahu direct control over how his family was covered by the well-known website Walla.
Israeli media outlets have already reported on and leaked the incriminating evidence found in the interrogation videos. However, the videos will never be aired to the general public in that nation—at least not legally. Gibney claims that subjects photographed during official proceedings have the right to privacy under Israeli law, so publishing the images would be prohibited. According to Gibney, “it’s a peculiar law to Israel [that] doesn’t affect the rest of the world.”.
The Bibi Files, he explained, was a work-in-progress that they brought to Toronto because, as the number of deaths in Gaza keeps rising, it required immediate viewing. Furthermore, in an effort to get the movie out to as many people as possible as soon as possible, they are looking for distribution partners at the festival’s market.
While there is nothing new to learn from the documentary, Gibney notes that for viewers accustomed to Netanyahu’s meticulously stage-managed speeches, witnessing his agitation during questioning—the moment at which his act breaks down—is instructive. Whenever he is confronted by police with testimony from his peers that implicates him, Netanyahu raises his fists and strikes his desk repeatedly, as though the force of the blows will quell the accusations.
Gibney claims, “You see performances even in the interrogation videos.”. “However, he doesn’t think that the audience of three will leave because he sees performances that are not as well-honed. “.
The Bibi Files puts the interrogation videos in context by painting a picture of Netanyahu, whose personal life is primarily devoted to supporting his wife Sara’s erratic behavior and opulent lifestyle, and whose career is built on instilling fear and offering security. The video also features Sara Netanyahu’s inconsistent testimony and her tirades during the witness box.
Talking heads include insiders such as Israeli journalist Raviv Drucker, former head of Shin Bet Ami Ayalon, a childhood friend, and others. They make the connections and expose the pattern of Netanyahu’s self-serving attempts to hold onto power while advancing his own agenda. These include his alliance with the far-right extremist group and his attempt to reshape the Supreme Court in order to avoid facing legal consequences.
Following the screening, Bloom expressed disappointment that more people hadn’t spoken up for the record. She claimed to have spoken with former Shin Bet directors, chiefs of staff, and other high-ranking officials under Netanyahu who would talk to her for hours on end about his corruption and lies. One individual made a comparison between his regime and the Netflix series House of Cards. I might enter politics myself someday, someone told me,” Bloom recalled. “I must therefore exercise caution. “”.
Days before the festival started, the premiere was announced, and there was an air of unease above normal. There was additional security present, along with a police canine unit. The screening itself proceeded without a hitch, but during the post-screening discussion led by Bloom, Gibney, and Thom Powers, Tiff’s documentary programmer, a number of the audience members seemed agitated. When some called for their turn to speak, Powers was forced to issue an order and refrain from making overt declarations.
After the talk, a throng of people surrounded a noticeably anxious Bloom, and she was confronted by one of the audience members who said that she had told “a bunch of lies” in the movie. He was alluding to the report that Israel’s military operations in Gaza have claimed the lives of over forty thousand people.
He said, “You don’t know that,” and then he asked, accusingly, “Are you trusting Hamas?”.
Bloom replied tactfully, “I believe they’re corroborated.”.
He issued a warning, saying, “You are spreading a misleading story.”.
In search of a wider release, The Bibi Files is currently showing at the Toronto film festival.
On September 10, 2024, this article was revised. In the Israel-Gaza conflict, there have been over 40,000 deaths to date—not 40,000 casualties, which is a much higher number that includes injured parties.
