Legal Battle Fails: 'The Bibi Files' Benjamin Netanyahu Documentary Which Shows Leaked Interrogation Footage of the Israeli Prime Minister Hits the Screen

In a dramatic showdown, the creators of the Benjamin Netanyahu documentary "The Bibi Files" defied a failed government attempt to block their film and celebrated a victorious premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on Monday night. 

Despite the privacy law's primary application being within Israel, Netanyahu's attorneys contended that the statute should apply internationally, seeking to block the film's Toronto screening. Judge Oded Shaham denied their request for an immediate halt, allowing both the Monday and Tuesday showings to go ahead. 

The screening offered audiences an unvarnished look at the Israeli leader's controversial legacy. 

“With so many lives being lost daily, we aimed to make a powerful statement with this film,” producer Alex Gibney said to the audience following the screening. Netanyahu’s documentary showcases his policies regarding the Gaza conflict but primarily zeroes in on his ongoing corruption trial, which has been dragging on for nearly five years. 

The documentary also featured Benjamin Netanyahu news relating to him being charged with fraud, bribery and breach of trust in three cases filed in 2019.

The Israeli politics documentary, which uses never-before-seen interrogation tapes to challenge the long-serving Israeli prime minister, sometimes seemed like a rally for the film’s Israeli-focused, often anti-Netanyahu crowd. 

“Find a way to drop this film over Israel,” an Israeli attendee suggested to the audience after the screening. With growing protests on the streets of Tel Aviv following the deaths of six Israeli hostages, it seems the film's message may already be resonating. 

The recordings from the Benjamin Netanyahu documentary remain unseen in Israel—though snippets have reached text-based journalists—and are unlikely to be officially disclosed, due to a privacy law that could place the source in legal peril. 

The film gives a raw look at several key Israeli figures, including Hollywood producer and Netanyahu ally Arnon Milchan, and Yair Lapid, the current opposition leader and former Finance Minister under Netanyahu. In surprisingly open interrogation room scenes, they talk about what they knew regarding the alleged corruption. 

It also features Sara Netanyahu, who comes across as more fiery than her husband, and their son Yair, a right-wing influencer who refers to the police investigators as “the Stasi,” adding depth to the story. 

Thom Powers, the festival’s chief documentary programmer, added the Benjamin Netanyahu documentary to the schedule just last week, convinced that it offered crucial insights into the ongoing Middle East crisis. 

Following the film’s screening, the audience stood to applaud, with about a dozen individuals raising signs advocating for a ceasefire and a resolution for the hostages. 

Outside on King Street before the event, protesters chanted in Hebrew, demanding new parliamentary elections, a ceasefire, and a deal for the hostages. 

With no distribution deal in sight, Gibney is pinning his hopes on the festival screenings to secure a deal. 

Although the Benjamin Netanyahu documentary doesn't cover the recent protests, it could still influence the mounting demands from a large majority of Israelis. Many are calling for a ceasefire, a deal for hostages, and a change in government. 

According to an Israeli channel, more than two-thirds of Israelis believe Netanyahu should sit out the next election.