European Parliament to screen 'The Bibi Files' ahead of Israel's 2026 Knesset election

The documentary film The Bibi Files, one of the most widely discussed works made in recent years about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, will be screened inside the European Parliament in Brussels on September 29, exactly four weeks before Israel's elections.

The film is based in part on footage from Netanyahu's police interrogations, whose publication has previously been the subject of a legal battle by Netanyahu and requires court approval for visual and audio release in Israel. At the Brussels screening, members of the European Parliament and their assistants will view the material during the Israeli election campaign.

According to an invitation circulated ahead of the event, the screening will begin at 6 p.m., followed by a discussion featuring the film's director, Alexis Bloom, and Italian journalist Giulia Innocenzi, who is involved in distributing the film in Italy. Attendance is subject to available seating. Organizers clarified that advance registration does not guarantee entry and that they will send participation confirmations separately.

M5S Europa, the European Parliament delegation of Italy's Five Star Movement, initiated the event. The screening is not an official European Parliament event and does not represent the Parliament or the European Union.

What are the film's claims against Netanyahu?

The Bibi Files, released in 2024, was directed by Bloom and produced, among others, by Oscar winner Alex Gibney and Israeli journalist Raviv Drucker. The original filming for the documentary was carried out by Avner Shahaf, and a significant portion of the film is based on footage recorded by police during investigations into the Netanyahu cases between 2016 and 2018.

According to the film's creators, Gibney received a database containing more than 1,000 hours of interrogation materials in 2023 from an anonymous source through the Signal application. The identity of the leaker has not been revealed.

The materials include footage from the interrogations of Benjamin Netanyahu, his wife Sara, his son Yair, and other individuals questioned in the cases. Bloom said she worked for an extended period with a Hebrew-speaking editor to sort, synchronize, and decipher the materials.

The film shows Netanyahu in the interrogation room being questioned, among other issues, about receiving gifts from businessmen, including cigars and champagne, as well as his relationships with wealthy individuals and media organizations.

Alongside the police footage, the documentary includes interviews with people closely familiar with Netanyahu and the system around him, including former aide and state witness Nir Hefetz, former Shin Bet director Ami Ayalon, former prime minister Ehud Olmert, Drucker, and others.

The film is explicitly critical of Netanyahu and uses the leaked interrogation materials to present a sharp political interpretation of his years in power.

Bloom and Gibney expand the discussion beyond the corruption cases known as Case 1000, Case 2000 and Case 4000, linking Netanyahu's struggle over his legal and political future to a series of major developments in Israel in recent years, including the political alliances he formed, the judicial reform effort and the conduct of his governments during wartime.

Notably, the documentary is the filmmakers' opinions on the situation and has not been established as a finding in the ongoing legal proceedings against Netanyahu.

The prime minister denies the charges against him and has repeatedly argued that the cases against him are the result of political persecution and selective enforcement.