Israeli court rejects Netanyahu’s request to block screening of TIFF documentary

An Israeli judge has rejected Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s request to block the screening of a documentary set to premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on Monday evening. 
The American documentary, titled “The Bibi Files,” details the corruption cases that have plagued Netanyahu for years, and which resulted in his indictment for charges of breach of trust, bribery and fraud in 2019.
Directed by Alexis Bloom and produced by Oscar-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney, “The Bibi Files” features unseen police interrogation footage of Netanyahu that was captured between 2016 and 2018. According to Variety, the recordings were leaked to Gibney, and feature extensive interviews with Netanyahu, his family, friends and associates. 
The film was added to the TIFF lineup last week.
“These recordings shed light on Netanyahu’s character in a way that is unprecedented and extraordinary,” Gibney told Variety. “They are powerful evidence of his venal and corrupt character and how that led us to where we are at right now.”
Netanyahu’s attempt to block the film’s screening at TIFF was quashed by a judge in the Jerusalem District Court on Monday.
The judge ruled that Netanyahu had waited too long after the film was announced before filing his motion and declined to intervene, according to the Times of Israel. Netanyahu’s lawyers claimed that the footage was meant to harm him politically. 
TIFF did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
The news arrives in the midst of mass protests against Netanyahu in Israel, where many blame the prime minister for the mounting number of dead hostages in recent months. Netanyahu is also facing immense pressure from key governing partners and security officials to reach a ceasefire agreement with Hamas.
“The Bibi Files” premieres Monday at 6:15 p.m. at the TIFF Lightbox and screens again on Tuesday at 6:15 p.m. at Scotiabank Theatre. 
The documentary on Netanyahu is not the only film at TIFF that’s stirring geopolitical tensions. Earlier this week, Ukrainian officials sent a letter to TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey asking the festival to pull a documentary about Russian soldiers from its schedule.
Directed by Russian-Canadian direct Anastasia Trofimova, the documentary, titled “Russians at War,” premiered at the Venice Film Festival last week, and is set to make its North American debut in Toronto on Friday.
According to the TIFF synopsis, the film captures Russian soldiers in Ukraine who find themselves disillusioned with the war as they “come to realize that everything they heard about the war in Russian media is false.”
In his letter to Bailey, Ukrainian Consul General Oleh Nikolenko says the film attempts to absolve the soldiers in question of responsibility in the invasion of Ukraine.
“It is irresponsible to allow the Toronto International Film Festival, one of the most reputable world film stages, to be used to whitewash the responsibility of Russian soldiers committing war crimes in Ukraine during the ongoing Russian invasion,” the letter, dated Sept. 5, reads.
With files from The Canadian Press.