The Bibi Files
Alexis Bloom / United States / 2024 / European Premiere / 115 min
All the cards in the corruption case against Benjamin Netanyahu are laid out on the table in a film based on leaked footage and interviews from the Israeli Prime Minister's inner circle. A political docu-thriller of historical relevance.
How far will a man go to stay in power? Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – known as Bibi among friends – is accused of misconduct and corruption. Through unprecedented footage from his questioning, we are inside the interrogation room. Netanyahu is media savvy and makes a big deal of being bored, flapping his arms and shaking his head. He denies all accusations and dismisses them as lies, but suspicion is hard to shake. Among other crimes, Netanyahu and his family are accused of accepting gifts from businessmen – champagne, cigars and jewellery – in exchange for political favours and positive press coverage. The trials have been years in the making and some speculate that the war in Gaza has been prolonged so that Netanyahu can avoid serving up to 10 years in prison. Unsuccessfully, Netanyahu himself went to court to prevent this film from being shown to the public, and after watching it you begin to understand why.