TRUTH AND TREASON. 20 Years in the Making
Scene 447, Helmuth Hübener (Ewan Horrocks) at High Court (Volksgerichtshof) - Photo by Lukas Šalna
“I am guilty of no crime at all. I will die, having done nothing wrong... But your time will come. The judge will be judged, and truth will prevail.”
I was still a film student when I met director Matt Whitaker. He was finishing up Truth & Conviction, a documentary featuring Karl-Heinz Schnibbe, the last remaining survivor of the German resistance group led by 16 year-old Helmuth Hübener. Producer Rick McFarland approached me about editing the film. Certainly not because I was an amazing editor, but on the merits of my German language skills and yeah, my cheap labor being a student and all. With great excitement I learned that Nobel Laureate and legendary author Günther Grass had been interviewed for the project, along with journalist Ulrich Sander, who was among the first to discover the story of the Hamburg-based resistance group.
I was already well acquainted and passionate about the stories of German youth resistance movements: Hans and Sophie Scholl with the White Rose in Munich, Günther Schwarz and others from the Edelweiß Pirates in Cologne, and of course, Helmuth Hübener with his friends in Hamburg. Through my association with Matt, I was able to meet Karl-Heinz Schnibbe in person and spent considerable time with him in Utah and Germany before his passing in May of 2010.
While editing the documentary, Matt had already begun writing and jotting down ideas and scenes for a feature film. What started as a casual conversation and creative riffing quickly evolved into a co-writing collaboration, but more importantly, a deep and lasting friendship. As I was still holding down a job at the time and finishing up my studies, Matt and I dedicated ourselves to a strict writing schedule: weekdays from 9:00 pm - midnight, and Saturdays from 6:00 am till noon. These late night writing sessions sessions and weekends carried on for months. We researched, outlined, acted out scenes and tried on dialogue, and divvied up writing scenes while reviewing and commenting on the other one’s work.
After finishing the first draft of the screenplay Truth & Treason, the journey to bring it to the screen would span more than twenty years. Producer Russ Kendall at Kaleidoscope Pictures became a steadfast advocate early on, and producer John Foss joined the effort in 2007. Together they championed the film through years of development, fundraising, and perseverance — until, finally with Baltic Film Services in Lithuania and Angel Studios, Truth & Treason finally entered production on April 29, 2024.
On set with director Matt Whitaker in Kaunus, Lithuania - Photo by Lukas Šalna
When I joined the production in Lithuania as the on-set writer, I was reminded why I fell in love with filmmaking in the first place. Seeing words that had been written by the two of us, scenes and characters come to life in real time, now no longer only committed to paper… was a profound experience. I stood in awe as producers Matt, Russ, and John led the production team with such grace, focus, and integrity. Together with casting directors Sarah Trevis and Harry Gilbert, they had assembled a remarkable cast: Ewan Horrocks (Helmuth Hübener), Rupert Evans (Erwin Müssener), Ferdinand McKay (Karl-Heinz Schnibbe), Daf Thomas (Rudi Wobbe), Nye Occomore (Salomon Schwarz), Joanna Christie (Emma Hübener), Sean Mahon (Hugo Hübener), Sylvie Varcoe (Elli Kluge), Ben Dilloway (Julius Wangemann), Daniel Betts (Arthur Zander), and many others (see IMDb for the full cast). Each actor brought their own interpretation and talent to the film.
To see Matt Whitaker at the helm of this story — guiding every scene, every performance, every frame — was profoundly moving. His sensitive directing carried the weight of decades of devotion and sacrifice. Watching him balance vision and vulnerability while producing, rewriting, and refining this film — often at great personal cost — left me in awe of his humility, tenacity, and endurance.
Under Bianca Cline's cinematography, 1940s Hamburg emerges in a soft, stylized palette — as if veiled in mist and memory. Tempering the harshness of Nazi Germany with muted grace, her images conjure up the futility of resistance amid the fog of oppression. All the locations in Vilnius and Kaunas had been carefully selected, and our wonderful set photographer Lukas Šalna did a great job walking through all of them on his YouTube channel.
Production designer Jurgita Gerdvilaite, together with costume designer Rute Lecaite, restored the era’s physical and emotional landscape with striking accuracy. Art directors Donatas Pirstellis and Ramunas Rastuskas meticulously recreated every flyer, street sign, and courtroom detail, while set decorator Ona Kvintaite imbued each space with depth and humanity. And behind them all was an extraordinary army of craftspeople — from makeup and wardrobe to locations and transport — who made this world come alive.
It’s impossible to list, thank or even name all the artists who poured their hearts into this project. Editor Adam Banks certainly deserves notable recognition for shaping a sprawling four-part story into the cohesive two-hour feature now in theaters -- a marathon of perseverance. Adam and Matt carried the weight of years of storytelling into the edit, refining it with care until every frame felt inevitable. The full four-part series expands the story in greater depth and scope.
Truth & Treason has been in theaters for some time now, and of course is available on streaming platforms as well. Originally, the film was meant to be a four-part mini series, and it was shot as such in Lithuania in 2024. In fact, you can watch the series on Amazon prime with a 7-day trial subscription to the Wonder project. Only in the USA though… so, hoping I will be able to see it here in Europe some day as well.
With each viewing, I find myself filled with quiet gratitude. It has been one of the great privileges of my life to help tell this story — a story of courage, conviction, and conscience that has lived in my heart for over two decades. Seeing it reach audiences now feels like a homecoming, a reminder of how far vision, friendship, and perseverance can carry a dream. In a time when truth itself is contested and courage often comes at a cost, this story feels more relevant — and more necessary — than ever.
