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The conference program of Copenhagen Intl. Documentary Film Festival, a.k.a. Cph:Dox, will explore topics such as AI in non-fiction, immersive storytelling, investigative journalism and climate justice.

Speakers attending the program, running March 24-28 and held in partnership with Documentary Campus, include Christo Grozev, James Jones, Alexis Bloom, Kate Townsend, Sam Soko, Mstyslav Chernov and Nathan Grossman.

The conference this year is curated by Mandy Chang, former head of BBC Storyville, and global documentaries at Fremantle.

Mara Gourd-Mercado, head of industry and training at Cph:dox, said the conference “creates space to explore how documentary filmmaking shapes the world around us.” She added: “Through hands-on discussions and insights from industry leaders, the conference promises to spark fresh ideas and equip filmmakers with new tools for telling impactful stories.”

Donata von Perfall, managing director of Documentary Campus, added: “The documentary filmmaking community has an immense sense of shared responsibility and values.

At every stage of release, the Oscar-shortlisted documentary The Bibi Files has faced tremendous challenges – obstacles that might have derailed filmmakers without the fortitude of director Alexis Bloom and producer Alex Gibney.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu, whose reputation takes a beating in the film, tried to block its unofficial world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival last September. An Israeli court rejected his bid.

“It wasn’t surprising that [Netanyahu] had some kind of last-ditch attempt to stop the film, even though logically I don’t know how he thought that was possible,” Bloom says in a new interview for Deadline’s The Backstory. “Clearly, the courts in Israel don’t have any say over the courts in Canada. They don’t have jurisdiction over Canadians. So, on the one level I thought, wow, that wasn’t smart, because what was the legal basis for that? On another level,...

The Bibi Files, directed by Alexis Bloom, is an engrossing documentary that goes beyond just a political report. It turns Benjamin Netanyahu’s story into a compelling narrative that questions conventional narrative. The film starts with a close interrogation scene, drawing viewers into the serious issue of political corruption. This decision conveys a sense of urgency and reflects today’s political chaos.

Bloom’s clear editing style matches quick news updates, using old footage and current interviews to create a feeling of being right in the moment. A generation tired of political theater resonates with this nonlinear approach, encouraging viewers to create a complicated narrative.

The documentary focuses on Netanyahu as a divided character, showing traits of both strength and corruption. It serves as a cultural artifact that reflects societal concerns and the moral implications of leadership. The Bibi Files, which stands as a testament to the power of film...

Members of the Academy Documentary Branch sifted through 169 eligible nonfiction features to determine this year’s shortlist. The 15 selected films are beautifully crafted docs about interesting and important subjects. Ten docs that made the list premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, while the five remaining debuted at other top-tier festivals, including Berlin, Venice and Toronto.

“No Other Land,” about the resistance of Palestinian activists against forced displacement in the West Bank, won the best documentary prize at the Berlin International Film Festival and recently earned top accolades from the National Board of Review. The film does not have U.S. distribution. Brett Story and Stephen Maing’s “Union,” about a group of current and former Amazon workers attempting to unionize employees, premiered at Sundance. After successful screenings at 50 festivals worldwide, Story and Maing self-released “Union” via Level Ground this fall. Brendan Bellomo and Slava Leontyev’s “Porcelain War” also debuted in Park City,...

Alex Gibney, the Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker, has attacked the BBC after claiming the British broadcaster rejected his Benjamin Netanyahu exposé The Bibi Files.

The Going Clear director accused the BBC of bending the knee to the Israeli prime minister in its coverage of the war in Gaza.

He produced The Bibi Files, which draws upon leaked videos of the police interrogation of Netanyahu on charges that he accepted gifts worth tens of thousands of dollars in exchange for political favors.

Netanyahu attempted to block the feature’s release, according to the filmmakers, which include director Alexis Bloom (Divide and Conquer: The Story of Roger Ailes).

“BBC won’t show “The Bibi Files” because it is critical of Netanyahu. Israelis in film accuse him of prosecuting an endless brutal war in Gaza to avoid bribery conviction,” Gibney said on X/Twitter. “BBC doesn’t want to allow that Pov on TV.

Am I Racist?, the controversial documentary that satirizes Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives, failed to make the Oscar shortlist of nonfiction features today, despite earning more money at the box office than any other documentary this year, by far.

The film directed by Justin Folk features conservative author and podcaster Matt Walsh going undercover to infiltrate Dei seminars, dinners and the like. It scooped up more than $12 million at the domestic box office, but that wasn’t enough to sway the minds of Academy Documentary Branch members, who determine the shortlist (as well as the eventual five Oscar nominees).

Film participant Amanda Zurawksi and executive producer Hilary Clinton speak after the world premiere of ‘Zurawski v Texas’ at Telluride Film Festival

It may come as cold comfort to the Am I Racist? team, but films with an overt take on American politics were all spurned by the doc branch. Those include Zurawaski v Texas,...

Will & Harper, the Netflix documentary about comedic actor Will Ferrell and his friendship with SNL pal Harper Steele who came out as trans, earned a spot on the coveted Oscar documentary feature shortlist today.

It wasn’t the only shortlist honor for the film directed by Josh Greenbaum. The tune from the closing credits – “Will and Harper Go West,” written by SNL alum Kristen Wiig and Sean Douglas and performed by Wiig – got shortlisted for Best Original Song (Douglas is the son of actor Michael Keaton).

But another high-profile documentary in the running for the shortlist didn’t make the cut: Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story, about the late actor who was paralyzed in a horse-riding accident. That film, directed by Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui, recently won Best Documentary Feature at the Critics Choice Documentary Awards, and last week earned a nomination for the Producers Guild of America Award.

There’s a big difference between critics groups telling awards groups what they should watch, and lists that represent actual Oscar voters. The shortlists, announced on Tuesday, are actually long lists in 10 Oscar categories, revealing the contenders for animated, documentary, and live-action shorts, crafts such as Hair & Makeup, Sound, and VFX —the branches will soon mount show-and-tells for the voters, or “bakeoffs” — Original Score and Song, and Best International Feature and Documentary Feature.

This is step one on the road to an Oscar: Now, the awards campaigners will kick into high gear to make sure their films make it to the final five nominees. There are plenty of other categories for non-crafty films like “Anora” to land on nominations morning, January 17, 2025.

Netflix is having a good day, landing 15 mentions across nine titles. They landed three out of 15 on the Best Documentary shortlist: Sundance breakouts “The Remarkable Life of Ibelin,” “Daughters,...

The Academy has unveiled the 10 shortlists for the 97th Academy Awards in March, with Jacques Audiard’s Emilia Perez, Mohammad Rasoulof’s The Seed Of The Sacred Fig and Walter Salles’sI’m Still Here among the international feature film category heavyweights.

Besides the French, German and Brazilian contenders, the list includes Mati Diop’s Dahomey for Senegal, Rich Peppiatt’s Kneecap for Ireland, Maura Delpero’s Vermiglio for Italy, Sandhya Suri’s Santosh for the UK, and Matthew Rankin’sUniversal Language for Canada.

Europe accounts for 10 or two-thirds of the shortlist, Africa and Middle East two, and Americas two,...

If the Oscars shortlist is the equivalent of mid-term exams for awards contenders, then Netflix’s “Emilia Pérez” and Universal Pictures’ “Wicked” just received passing grades.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced the shortlists in 10 categories for the upcoming 97th Oscars ceremony.

“Emilia Pérez” landed six mentions overall, including makeup, sound, original score, international feature, and two for original song (“El Mal” and “Mi Camino”). The musical was followed another behometh in the race, Universal Pictures’ “Wicked,” which landed four.

The preliminary voting applies to animated short film, documentary feature, documentary short, international feature, live action short, makeup and hairstyling, original score, original song, sound and visual effects.

Oscar voting to determine the nominees in all 23 categories opens on Wednesday, Jan. 8, and concludes on Sunday, Jan. 12. Nominations will be announced on Friday, Jan. 17.

There are five 2024 Student Academy Award-winning films shortlisted: “Keeper” (documentary short), “Au Revoir...

Alexis Bloom’s documentary, which shows the Israeli prime minister and his family under police interrogation over corruption charges, reveals their sense of entitlement

The grotesque Hamas pogrom of 7 October 2023, in which around 800 Israeli civilians were murdered and 250 taken hostage – supported by some who do not believe Israel has a right to exist, still less defend itself – became Israel’s 9/11, igniting a horrendous retaliatory war with a secondary consequence for aghast onlookers – a consequence which is the subject of this documentary from Alexis Bloom. It refocused attention on what can only be described as the country’s ruling family, led by prime minister Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu and his wife Sara. (Their egregious son Yair here emerges with the remarkable distinction of being more rightwing than his parents.) They have become like haughty royals, self-pitying and self-dramatising: Netanyahu as a mixture of Donald Trump and Louis Xiv.

The film shows us...

Editor’s Note: This story was originally published in March 2024 and has since been updated to include new distribution details for “Gaucho Gaucho.”

Landing a good distributor is the holy grail for every indie filmmaker at Sundance. But when it comes to documentaries, while Netflix picked up a few titles out of the festival this year, the market remains soft.

Even as the theatrical market has improved for Oscar nominees and winners like “The Holdovers” and “Poor Things,” it’s tough to find a buyer for a lot of movies these days. For a movie like “Gaucho Gaucho,” which earned a Sundance jury prize and played well at Cph:dox, the filmmakers Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw finally landed a distributor at online company Jolt.film, which is also releasing another difficult-to-place documentary, producer Alex Gibney and director Alexis Bloom’s “The Bibi Files.”

Cinematographer Kershaw and photographer Dweck first met years...

“The Bibi Files,” directed by Alexis Bloom, is an extraordinary and essential documentary. It follows the corruption scandal that has engulfed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu like a toxic cloud. More than that, though, it’s about how the accusations he’s been trying to squirm out from under since 2019, when he was first indicted on charges of bribery and fraud, have changed his identity as a politician.

The film makes a powerful case that Netanyahu’s alliance with the far-right fringe of Israeli politics, which has culminated in his grotesque compulsion to prolong the massacre in Gaza with no end in sight, has been driven almost entirely by his attempt to evade the charges against him. As long as the war goes on, it becomes his excuse to stay in office. Underneath it all, the documentary argues that Netanyahu is terrified of being toppled and imprisoned, to the point...

Who knew pop star Ariana Grande was an adept musical comedienne? That surprise discovery should land her an Oscar nomination for Jon M. Chu’s adaptation of the global hit musical “Wicked”, which will prove a box-office juggernaut. On that much “Screen Talk” co-hosts Ryan Lattanzio and Anne Thompson agree; but he hates the cheesy visuals and loves Jonathan Bailey’s charismatic supporting turn as the romantic interest of both witches-in-training, while Anne admires the music, well-produced by Marc Platt and delivered with gusto by Cynthia Erivo and Grande.

“Wicked” follows Steven Spielberg’s recent “West Side Story,” which earned seven nominations in 2022 and a win for another supporting discovery, Ariana DeBose. And Rob Marshall’s film version of Bob Fosse’s “Chicago” (2002) was also one of 10 musical Best Picture winners. But we agree they were executed with more visual and technical mastery.

‘Juror #2’Courtesy of Warner Bros.

Both co-hosts...

Critics of Benjamin Netanyahu will probably be disappointed to learn that there are no major revelations in The Bibi Files, Alexis Bloom’s documentary concerning the corruption charges that have been swirling around the Israeli prime minister since 2016. Nonetheless, they’ll find much to feast on — including the leaked footage of police interrogations of him, his wife Sara and son Yair, which resulted in Netanyahu trying to get the film blocked by Israeli courts.

Making its official world premiere at Doc NYC — following an earlier work-in-progress screening at the Toronto International Film Festival, and shortly ahead of its theatrical and streaming releases — The Bibi Files paints a damning portrait of its subject’s machinations to stay in power.

The aforementioned charges resulted in various indictments in 2019 for breach of trust, accepting bribes and fraud, with the cases still ongoing. Netanyahu has asked for the latest part of the trial to...

At Wednesday’s annual Doc NYC Visionaries Tribute Luncheon, over 500 of the documentary community’s best and brightest attempted to remain positive about the future of not only docus, but also America under Donald Trump’s leadership.

The Gotham Hall gala, which marked the opening day of the 15th annual Doc NYC film festival, attracted filmmakers with documentaries vying for a spot on the Oscar shortlist, including R.J. Cutler (“Martha”), Alexis Bloom (“The Bibi Files”), Hasan Oswald (“Mediha”), Carla Gutiérrez (“Frida”) and Shiori Ito (“Black Box Diaries”). The luncheon also drew hundreds of docu cinematographers, producers, editors, publicists, distributors, and perhaps most importantly, an abundance of Academy doc branch members.

During her speech, Lifetime Achievement honoree Marcia Smith, Firelight Media president/co-founder, relayed her concerns for the doc community at large.

“Friends have been laid off, whole doc divisions eliminated or consolidated, budgets have shrunk, and juicy festival sales have been few and far between,...

Dogwoof has unveiled the trailer for ‘The Bibi Files,’ the new documentary from Alexis Bloom.

The documentary is focused on high-level familial corruption and the disastrous lengths a political leader will go to escape accountability. This is a film about a man singularly focused on his own political survival in a region beset by war.

The filmmakers were leaked damning, never-before-seen footage police interrogation videos of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his family, his closest associates, and benefactors as part of a corruption investigation. The leaked footage indicates a steady and continuous pattern of lavish gift-giving and quid pro quo favours in the media and business worlds. The interrogation videos are interwoven with archival footage that shows Netanyahu’s rise to power, and how his nearly 30-year rule as Prime Minister has divided the state of Israel.

Interspersed throughout are interviews with prominent journalists, Israeli statesmen, Netanyahu associates, and longtime friends,...

Exclusive: Benjamin Netanyahu doc The Bibi Files has secured distribution in multiple territories, flying in the face of the controversial Israeli prime minister’s attempts to block the film.

The work, directed by Alexis Bloom and produced by Alex Gibney, gives unprecedented insight into the backstory of Netanyahu’s ongoing corruption trial, through never-before-seen footage of police interrogations of the politician as well as his wife sara and son Yair.

In Europe, the doc has sold to Benelux (September Film), France (Dulac Distribution), Poland (Against Gravity), Spain (Filmin) and the UK (Dogwoof).

It has also been acquired for Australia & New Zealand (Madman), Indonesia (Pt Falcon), and the Middle East and Turkey (Teleview).

Thoms Powers, Alexis Bloom, Alex Gibney

Goodfellas boarded sales on the doc on the eve of the Toronto International Film Festival, where it screened as a work in progress, one day after an attempt by Netanyahu’s lawyers...

The Bibi Files, the explosive documentary containing leaked footage of interrogations in the ongoing corruption trial of Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu, is set to stream on the new platform Jolt.

The film from director Alexis Bloom (Divide and Conquer, We Steal Secrets) and producer Alex Gibney (The Inventor, Going Clear) will stream on the platform starting on Dec. 11 for 90 days, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed. Streaming the film will cost $12 on Jolt, which launched earlier this year and is currently also distributing Venice Film Festival entry Hollywoodgate, with Sundance jury prize winner Gaucho Gaucho to come in December. Variety was the first to report on The Bibi Files‘ distribution.

The decision comes after the film garnered distributors’ interest in international markets but not in the U.S., Gibney tells THR. “It was clear that a lot of the major outlets just were nervous, radically nervous, I would say, about doing anything...

“The Bibi Files,” a documentary about Benjamin Netanyahu that features never-before-seen video of the Israeli Prime Minister being interrogated by police on corruption allegations that led to his indictment in 2019, will be available to stream on Jolt.film beginning Dec. 11.

In September, Netanyahu attempted to block “The Bibi Files” from premiering at the Toronto Film Festival. The doc, directed by Alexis Bloom and produced by Oscar winner Alex Gibney, ultimately screened at the fest hours after a Jerusalem court rejected Netanyahu’s suit, which claimed that the film violated Israeli law by making use of unapproved interrogation footage.

Given its political nature “The Bibi Files,” not surprisingly, did not sell to any major streamers following the doc’s Sept. 9 TIFF debut. Bloom and Gibney ultimately decided to bring the film to Jolt, a direct-to-consumer film distribution platform that launched in March with Ross Kauffman’s documentary “Of Medicine and Miracles.

No Other Land, the powerful documentary set in a Palestinian community of the occupied West Bank, may lack U.S. distribution, but it’s got awards momentum behind it.

The film directed by a collective of Palestinian and Israeli filmmakers earned a place on Doc NYC’s coveted Short List — the festival’s nod to what it considers to be among the year’s best feature documentaries. The list – a harbinger of potential traction with Oscar voters — also gave recognition to Will & Harper, a Netflix film built around a road trip taken by Will Ferrell and his longtime friend Harper Steele after Harper came out as trans.

Both No Other Land and Will & Harper earned nominations for Best Documentary Feature at the Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards announced earlier this week. Also pulling off the Doc NYC-Critics’ Choice double is Sugarcane, the National Geographic documentary investigating the disappearance of Indigenous children...

The 15th annual Doc NYC festival unveiled the titles in its Short List sections, an early precursor lineup in advance of the Oscar nominations next January in the categories of Best Documentary Feature and Documentary Short.

America’s largest documentary festival, based in the Chelsea and Greenwich Village neighborhoods of New York City, launches on Nov. 13 with the opening night premiere of “Blue Road: The Edna O’Brien Story.”

The titles in the Short Lists include Benjamin Ree’s “The Remarkable Life of Ibelin,” Raoul Peck’s “Ernest Cole: Lost and Found,” Carla Gutiérrez’s “Frida,” Mati Diop’s “Dahomey” and “No Other Land,” directed by a four-person collective of Israeli and Palestinian artists.

Additional films, nearly all screening with filmmakers in person for Q&As, include “Will and Harper,” about the friendship between Will Ferrell and Harper Steele, “The Last of the Sea Women,” produced by Nobel Peace Prize winner...

Fifteen-year-old Doc NYC, America’s largest documentary festival, has revealed its influential 15-film Short List. The festival will run its main lineup of 111 features, 32 world premieres, 24 U.S. premieres, and 129 short films in-person November 13-21 in New York City’s IFC Center, Sva Theatre, and Village East by Angelika and continue online until December 1 with films available to viewers across the U.S. All the films will have theatrical screenings at the festival, often with the directors in person.

Historically, most of the Doc NYC shortlist titles overlap with the Academy’s official 15-film Oscar shortlist. With the notable exception of Netflix’s Oscar-winning “My Octopus Teacher,” for 12 years, the festival has screened the documentary that went on to win the Academy Award, including “20 Days in Mariupol,” “Navalny,” “Summer of Soul,” “American Factory,” “Free Solo,” “Icarus,” “O.J.: Made in America,” “Amy,” “Citizenfour,” “20 Feet From Stardom,” “Searching for Sugar Man,...

Alexis Bloom’s “The Bibi Files,” Raoul Peck’s “Ernest Cole: Lost and Found” and Johan Grimonprez’s “Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat” are among the 15 documentary films that have received a coveted spot on Doc NYC’s feature shortlist.

Launched in 2012, the Doc NYC feature shortlist, which this year includes several streamer-backed docs as well as films with minimal or no distribution, has become known for being an award season bellwether. The last three feature docus that garnered an Oscar — “20 Days in Mariupol”, “Navalny” and “Summer of Soul” — made the Doc NYC shortlist.

In all the Doc NYC film festival has screened 53 of the last 60 Oscar-nominated documentary features. The feature shortlist election process is overseen by fest’s artistic director Jaie Laplante and director of special projects Thom Powers, who also serves as the lead documentary programmer at the Toronto Intl. Film Festival.

“We start thinking about the...

The 25th Woodstock Film Festival will feature a lineup of world, North American and U.S. premieres, joining acclaimed fiction and nonfiction films from Sean Baker, Steve McQueen, Alexis Bloom, Raoul Peck, Marielle Heller, Jesse Eisenberg, Jacques Audiard and many more.

The festival, which runs from October 15-20 in the Hudson Valley towns of Woodstock, Rosendale, Kingston and Saugerties, will see writer-director Paul Schrader receive the Honorary Maverick Award. His latest, Oh, Canada, starring Richard Gere, Uma Thurman and Jacob Elordi, will screen at Woodstock. Filmmaker Ira Deutchman will be presented with the Honorary Trailblazer Award; Pamela Yates and Paco de Onís will receive the inaugural Art of Activism Award. [Scroll for the full lineup]

McQueen’s Blitz, starring Oscar-nominated actress Saoirse Ronan, serves as Woodstock’s centerpiece film. Jesse Eisenberg’s A Real Pain, starring the Oscar-nominated actor and Kieran Culkin, closes the silver jubilee edition of Woodstock. Sean Baker’s Anora heads to...

From investigations into Wikileaks and Scientology, Elizabeth Holmes and the war in Afghanistan, Alex Gibney has made some of the defining documentaries of our time. So it makes sense he’d now turn his attention as a producer to one of the defining political figures of our time: long-serving Israel prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

In The Bibi Files, Gibney and director Alexis Bloom offer a devastating dissection of the right-wing leader. They build a case against him from never-before-seen leaked interrogation tapes during Netanyahu’s ongoing corruption trial about alleged gifts in return for political favors.

The recordings (which include not just Netanyahu but family members and many prominent figures in Israeli society) vividly show how the prime minister thinks and operates — a relevant portrayal as he and far-right members of his coalition continue to prosecute a war in Gaza nearly a year after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

With...

Hello Insiders. It’s getting colder in Europe, but the news in TV and film has been hot and spicy in the week Taylor Swift endorsed Kamala Harris. Jesse Whittock here taking you. Let’s go, and don’t forget to sign up here.

TIFF’s Russia Doc Pulled

‘Russians at War’ director Anastasia Trofimova in Venice

War doc shelved: This year’s Toronto Film Festival had been surprisingly quiet until Thursday afternoon when the festival said it had paused upcoming screenings of Russian-Canadian director Anastasia Trofimova’s documentary Russians at War “effective immediately” after learning about “significant threats to festival operations and public safety.” The decision was made “in order to ensure the safety of all festival guests, staff, and volunteers,” TIFF said in a statement, adding, “This is an unprecedented move.” Russians at War provides a rare insight into life for Russian soldiers on the frontline in Ukraine.

Toronto screenings of The Bibi Files, the work in progress documentary concerning corruption charges against Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, are going ahead despite efforts by his government to block them.

Alexis Bloom’s film was a late addition to Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) selection by the festival’s head documentary programmer Thom Powers and screens again on Tuesday evening after the initial presentation on Monday.

Producer Alex Gibney attended the Monday screening. The Bibi Files reveals previously unseen, leaked interrogation footage of Netanyahu, who has been under investigation by Israeli authorities for eight years and is yet to stand trial.

A new documentary about former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had its world premiere Monday at the Toronto International Film Festival. Titled “The Bibi Files,” the film offers an unflattering depiction of Netanyahu through leaked video of a police interrogation. It examines corruption charges against him and criticism of his conduct as prime minister.

The film features never-before-seen footage of Netanyahu’s questioning by Israeli authorities over allegations he improperly received expensive gifts. In the video, he often replies “I don’t remember” to questions. It also interviews critics who accuse Netanyahu of currying political favors and prolonging conflict with Hamas to maintain power. One asserts a “forever war” benefits Netanyahu by making a corruption trial less likely.

Directors Alexis Bloom and Alex Gibney gained access to the leaked interrogation video last year. Its premiere came just hours after an Israeli court rejected Netanyahu’s effort to block the film.

After facing a failed attempt by the government of Benjamin Netanyahu to block their world-premiere screening, the filmmakers behind the anti-Netanyahu documentary The Bibi Files carried on Monday night debuting their work at the Toronto International Film Festival with a mix of grim resolve and giddy triumph.

Alexis Bloom’s film, which builds its case against the long-serving Israeli prime minister on a foundation of never-before-seen interrogation tapes, at times played like a rally to the Israeli-skewing, often anti-Netanyahu crowd.

“You need to find a way to take this film and airdrop it over Israel,” one Israeli attendee said from the audience after the screening, though judging by the growing crowds of protesters on Tel Aviv streets in the wake of six dead Israeli hostages, the message may have already been received.

The Bibi Files was produced by the Oscar- and Emmy-winning documentarian Alex Gibney, who said he and Bloom...

In one of the most explosive documentary premieres in TIFF history, a film sharply critical of Benjamin Netanyahu bowed before a packed house in Toronto Monday night, despite a last-ditch effort by the Israeli prime minister to block it.

The Bibi Files, produced by Alex Gibney and directed by Alexis Bloom, contains never-before-seen video of Netanyahu being interrogated by Israeli police on corruption allegations – an investigation that led to Netanyahu’s indictment in 2019. In footage leaked to Gibney late last year, Netanyahu is seen locking horns with interrogators, denying he improperly accepted expensive gifts from wealthy supporters, including Hollywood producer Arnon Milchan and Las Vegas casino magnate Sheldon Adelson. Video of police questioning of Milchan, Adelson, as well as Netanyahu’s wife Sara and eldest son Yair also was leaked to Gibney and is featured prominently in the documentary.

Earlier Monday, the Jerusalem District Court rejected an attempt by Netanyahu...

The pairing of famous directors with famous subjects proved an unbeatable combo in the documentary categories at the Creative Arts Emmys.

Ron Howard’s Jim Henson Idea Man, about the late Muppets creator, won Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special, one of the marquee doc categories. And the winning didn’t stop there for the Disney+ film. It claimed a total of four trophies on the night, including Outstanding Picture Editing for a Nonfiction Program, Outstanding Music Composition for a Documentary Series or Special (original dramatic score), and Outstanding Sound Editing for a Nonfiction or Reality Program.

L-r Actors Jude Law, Daniel Brühl, Ana de Armas, Sydney Sweeney, Vanessa Kirby and director Ron Howard of “Eden” at the Deadline Studio held at the Bisha Hotel during the Toronto International Film Festival 2024 on September 7, 2024 in Toronto, Canada.

It’s been a major weekend for Oscar winner Howard, who unveiled his latest narrative...

Exclusive: Alex Gibney-produced Benjamin Netanyahu doc The Bibi Files, directed by Alexis Bloom, has set sales with Goodfellas ahead of a work-in-progress screening in Toronto.

With the global spotlight on Netanyahu as the death toll continues to rise in the Israel-Gaza war sparked by the October 7 Hamas attacks, the doc promises unprecedented insight into the backstory behind the Israeli prime minister’s ongoing corruption trial and how it is informing his current actions.

The work features leaked footage of police interrogation videos with Netanyahu, wife Sara, and son Yair, conducted from 2016 to 2018 as part of the eight-year criminal investigation which led up to the controversial politician’s indictment in November 2019, for breach of trust, bribery, and fraud.

This material has been intercut with 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 among others.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is the topic of a new feature documentary, “The Bibi Files” produced by Oscar winner Alex Gibney and directed by Alexis Bloom. The two-hour docu, which will screen as work-in-progress at the Toronto Film Intl. Festival, features never-before-seen police interrogation footage of Netanyahu.

The recordings were made between 2016 and 2018 as part of a collection of evidence to determine if there should be an indictment against the Israeli Prime Minister on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust.

In 2023 the recordings were leaked to Gibney. They feature extensive interviews with Bibi, his wife Sara, his son Yair, the Prime Minister’s friends and associates as well as household employees.

“These recordings shed light on Netanyahu’s character in a way that is unprecedented and extraordinary,” says Gibney. “They are powerful evidence of his venal and corrupt character and how that led us to where we are at right now.

On June 6, the 2024 IndieWire Honors ceremony will celebrate 13 creators and stars responsible for some of the most stellar work of the TV season. Curated and selected by IndieWire’s editorial team, the event is a new edition of previous IndieWire Honors ceremonies, this time focused entirely on television. We’re showcasing their work with new interviews leading up to the Los Angeles celebration.

“What are you doing a fucking series on David Beckham for?”

It’s a question director Fisher Stevens said he fielded multiple times as he told friends and colleagues he had been courted to make what has become Netflix’s most-watched documentary of the past year. In discussion with IndieWire over Zoom, the multi-talented filmmaker revealed that he, too, was surprised at first to be approached with the idea for “Beckham,” and even a bit resistant to taking it on.

“I love sports documentaries, but most of...

“The Fall Guy” is swinging into theaters this weekend, as are the indie masterpieces “I Saw the TV Glow” and “Evil Does Not Exist.” Fortunately, a handful of fun and intriguing titles are also hitting digital platforms, including a dynamic documentary about a rock ‘n’ roll linchpin.

The contender to watch this week: “Catching Fire: The Story of Anita Pallenberg”

No, this isn’t a “Hunger Games” sequel. Anita Pallenberg was an actress, a New York It Girl, and a denizen of Andy Warhol’s Factory, but she is best known as an associate of the Rolling Stones. She dated founder Brian Jones and, later, guitarist Keith Richards, with whom she had three children. Some people have called her the band’s muse. Pallenberg’s life was not always as glamorous as it sounds, though, and directors Alexis Bloom and Svetlana Zill mine her highs and lows for a compelling...

A muse, a mother, a fashionista, an actor, a rock ‘n’ roll icon — it’s hard to describe exactly why Anita Pallenberg remains such a compelling figure more than a half-century after the captivating blonde sang backing vocals on the Rolling Stones’ “Sympathy for the Devil” and starred in movies like “Performance” and “Barbarella.”

The new documentary “Catching Fire: The Story of Anita Pallenberg” delves into both the beautiful and tragic moments of her eventful life with the help of a treasure trove of home movies and interviews, as well as an unpublished memoir penned by Pallenberg and narrated by Scarlett Johansson. The footage is coupled with interviews of the Rolling Stones’ Keith Richards, with whom she had a significant relationship, their children Marlon and Angela Richards, director Volker Schlondorff, who cast her in some of his films, and her former friends and associates.

“I’ve been called a witch,...

Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.

Catching Fire: The Story of Anita Pallenberg (Alexis Bloom and Svetlana Zill)

You can’t always get what you want, unless you are a Rolling Stones fan hungering for documentary deep-dives into the band’s storied history. Indeed, it is spectacularly serendipitous that Catching Fire: The Story of Anita Pallenberg arrives just a few months after The Stones and Brian Jones. The latter doc, from Nick Broomfield, centered on Jones, the band’s founder and leader until Mick Jagger and Keith Richards snatched that mantle. Catching Fire and The Stones and Brian Jones cover much of the same ground, use some of the same archival footage, and even feature the same anecdotes from delightful Tin Drum director Volker Schlöndorff. The films are...

You can’t always get what you want, unless you are a Rolling Stones fan hungering for documentary deep-dives into the band’s storied history. Indeed, it is spectacularly serendipitous that Catching Fire: The Story of Anita Pallenberg arrives just a few months after The Stones and Brian Jones. The latter doc, from Nick Broomfield, centered on Jones, the band’s founder and leader until Mick Jagger and Keith Richards snatched that mantle. Catching Fire and The Stones and Brian Jones cover much of the same ground, use some of the same archival footage, and even feature the same anecdotes from delightful Tin Drum director Volker Schlöndorff. The films are even released by the same distributor, Magnolia.

Catching Fire and Brian Jones should, of course, be judged on their own merits, yet it’s impossible not to consider them in-tandem. The perspectives are obviously quite different, as are––to some degree––heroes and villains.

A new documentary will look at the legacy of model and actress Anita Pallenberg. In a clip from Catching Fire: The Story of Anita Pallenberg, Pallenberg — voiced by Scarlett Johansson reading from Pallenberg’s unpublished memoirs — recalls a 1968 boating vacation she took with her then boyfriend, Keith Richards, as well as Mick Jagger and his girlfriend at the time, Marianne Faithfull. Footage from the trip, a voyage from Lisbon to Rio, has never previously been released. The film arrives in theaters on May 3 and will be available digitally the same day.

Magnolia Pictures has released a trailer ahead of the May 3 release of “Catching Fire: The Story of Anita Pallenberg,” about the legendary muse to the Rolling Stones. Scarlett Johansson provides the voice for Pallenberg, based on the words of her unpublished memoir. Pallenberg’s children, Marlon and Angela Richards, and their father, Keith Richards are also included in the docu.

Alexis Bloom and Svetlana Zill direct the portrait of the rock ‘n’ roll actor, muse and mother who was called an “evil seductress” and accused of trying to break up the Rolling Stones.

The documentary screened at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, with critic Owen Gleiberman describing Pallenberg as the “beautiful and imperious scenester of the ’60s and ’70s, Hollywood actress and icon of scruffy-chic rock royalty, partner of Keith Richards, muse to several of the other Rolling Stones.”

The review continues, “In addition to Pallenberg’s memoir, the...

The American Cinematheque is kicking off a robust new Los Angeles nonfiction film festival dubbed This Is Not a Fiction, running from April 10-18. The festival opens with docuseries “Thank You, Good Night: The Bon Jovi Story,” with Jon Bon Jovi in-person at the Aero Theatre for the L.A. premiere screening.

The event will include in-person tributes to distinguished documentary filmmakers including Barbara Kopple, Joe Berlinger, Brett Morgen, Bill Morrison, Kirsten Johnson, Terry Zwigoff, Jeff Tremaine and Véréna Paravel and Lucien Castaing-Taylor, as well as a virtual Q&a with Frederick Wiseman.

Other premieres will include “Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus,” “Power,” “Strong Island,” “Catching Fire: The Story of Anita Pallenberg,” a restoration of “Lumumba: Death of a Prophet” and “Incident,” plus special presentations of Morgan Neville’s “Steve! (Martin) A Documentary in 2 Pieces” and “Girls State.” A celebration of the 15th anniversary of “30 for 30” will feature a panel...

The champagne may be flowing at the kickoff for the 27th Annual Sonoma International Film Festival – for more reasons than one.

This year’s event in California’s wine country will open with the U.S. premiere of Widow Clicquot, directed by Thomas Napper, a narrative feature about the Grande Dame of Champagne. Actress Haley Bennett stars in the titular role of Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin Clicquot, “who against all odds advanced her late husband’s techniques to create the recipe for modern-day champagne.”

Siff, running from March 20-24, will showcase 43 narrative features, 16 documentary features, and 48 short films representing more than 25 countries, according to a release.

Maya Hawke in ‘Wildcat’

The festival’s Centerpiece Film is Wildcat, directed by Ethan Hawke and starring his daughter Maya Hawke as renowned Southern Gothic author Flannery O’Connor. The Closing Night Film is Luc Besson’s crime drama Dogman, starring Caleb Landry Jones. A Closing Night...

It’s often said of the 1960s that “if you can remember it, you weren’t really there”. Here, Anita Pallenberg, a woman who absolutely personifies the swaggering, love-drenched freedom of a certain facet of sixties art and culture, proves that to be, once and for all, quite astonishing bollocks. Before her death in 2017, Pallenberg – an era-defining model and actress who, as the ex-girlfriend of Keith Richards and Brian Jones (and briefly the lover of Mick Jagger) is often described as the unofficial “sixth Rolling Stone” – wrote her memoirs. They form the basis of this remarkable intimate documentary, navigating the shifting fortunes of her life with admirable authenticity.

Those memoirs are narrated here by “an actress” with some husky-voiced depth that will feel fairly familiar. It should —it’s Scarlet Johansson, though the film makes a point of not distracting us with that fact until the credits roll. She does...

Exclusive: WME has signed Fisher Stevens and his production company Highly Flammable, which he launched last spring alongside producers Maura Anderson and Zak Kilberg. They’ll rep the Academy Award-winning multi-hyphenate, going forward, across all scripted and documentary projects.

The move comes less than a week after Stevens’ Beckham docuseries was released on Netflix, debuting as the streamer’s most-watched English-language series of the week. The four-parter, on which he teamed with Oscar and Emmy-winning producer John Battsek (Searching for Sugar Man), tells the inside story of the global football star and cultural icon, offering unprecedented access not only to Beckham, but also to his wife Victoria, his family, his friends and his teammates.

Fisher’s scripted directing credits include the ex-convict drama Palmer, starring Justin Timberlake, which remains one of Apple TV+’s top 10 most popular films; the comedic thriller Stand Up Guys, starring Al Pacino, Christopher Walken, Alan Arkin,...

Magnolia Pictures has acquired North American rights to “Catching Fire: The Story of Anita Pallenberg,” which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. The documentary, which was produced by Sk Global Entertainment, tells the story of Anita Pallenberg, the model and actress who rose to fame in the 1960s and ’70s after a chance encounter with the Rolling Stones.

Alexis Bloom and Svetlana Zill directed the docu, which features the voice of Scarlett Johansson as Anita, based on the words of her unpublished memoir. Keith Richards and his children with Pallenberg, Marlon and Angela Richards, make appearances in the film.

Magnolia plans to release “Catching Fire” next spring.

“Catching Fire: The Story of Anita Pallenberg” tells the story of a woman who was described as a “rock n’ roll goddess,” a “voodoo priestess” and an “evil seductress.” She was also accused of trying to break up the Rolling Stones. But despite her tumultuous life,...

Oscar winning documentary producer is at Sheffield DocFest with Chris Smith’s ‘Wham’ and Sundance hit The Deepest Breath.

Ventureland co-founder John Battsek knew the chance to tell a postive, upbeat story about the UK 1980s pop band Wham! could very well appeal to sought-after young audiences.

Wham! , directed by the US’ Chris Smith, was one of two new films with which the Oscar-winning documentary producer was at Sheffield DocFest in the UK last week. The other was Laura McGann’s Sundance hit, The Deepest Breath, about Italian freediving champion Alessia Zecchini, which was acquired by Netflix late last year.

The 2023 Cannes Film Festival’s documentary slate featured probes into human rights abuses and profiles of unsung visionaries. At least one movie falls into both categories. This year marks the second time that the L’Œil d’or, first presented in 2015, has gone to two films. It’s also the first time in 19 years that nonfiction has competed for the Palme d’Or. Do you think any of the following titles 10 should be on our radar come Oscar season?

See Cannes 2023 round-up: Top 25 movies to emerge from this year’s festival [Photos]

“Anita”

Anita Pallenberg is known by a small group, and still only as a muse rather than an actress, fashion icon and writer. Laird Borrelli-Persson (Vogue) describes her as a “troubled woman who has come close to being mythologized out of existence and sidelined by the juggernaut that is The Rolling Stones.” Alexis Bloom and Svetlana Zill made “Anita...

What’s the darkest moment you’ve ever seen in a rock ‘n’ roll documentary? Up until now, I’d have said the answer was obvious: the sequence in “Gimme Shelter” where Meredith Hunter, in his lime-green suit, rushes the stage at Altamont with a gun in his hand and gets stabbed in the back, half a dozen times, by a member of the Hell’s Angels. For pure heart of darkness, what could top that? But I’ve just seen “Catching Fire” (formerly titled “Anita”), Svetlana Zill and Alexis Bloom’s very good documentary about Anita Pallenberg — beautiful and imperious scenester of the ’60s and ’70s, Hollywood actress and icon of scruffy-chic rock royalty, partner of Keith Richards, muse to several of the other Rolling Stones. And there’s a moment in it that made me suck in my breath in shock and horror as much as “Gimme Shelter” does.

Updated with latest: The Cannes Film Festival kicked off this year with opening-night movie Jeanne du Barry, and concluded Saturday evening with Justine Triet’s Anatomy of a Fall scooping the Palme d’Or. Deadline was on the ground to watch all the key films. Here is a compilation of our reviews from the fest, which last year saw Ruben Östlund’s Triangle of Sadness win the coveted top prize on its way to an Oscar Best Picture nomination.

Check out the reviews below, click on the titles to read them in full, and keep checking back as we add more.

About Dry Grasses ‘About Dry Grasses’

Section: Competition

Director: Nuri Bilge Ceylan

Cast: Deniz Celiloglu, Ece Bagci, Merve Dizdar, Musab Ekici

Deadline’s takeaway: For Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s many fans, this is another opportunity to slip into his world, spot his sly political references and subside for a...