The Bibi Files - Full Documentary
The Bibi Files premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2024 and in cinemas and on demand from 13th Dec 2024. 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. As part of the investigation into bribery and fraud allegations against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli police recorded thousands of hours of interrogation footage from 2016 to 2018. This footage was leaked to filmmaker Alex Gibney via Signal in early 2023. While the interrogation audio had been previously published, the video footage had not been. Gibney stated, "These recordings shed light on Netanyahu's character in a way that is unprecedented and extraordinary. They are powerful evidence of his venal and corrupt character and how that led us to where we are at right now." 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.” - Instinct Productions.