Not Currently Funding | Offering: Reg CF

Truth & Conviction: the Helmuth Hubener Story

Lock in Lithuania Locations & Casting in London
$604,255 Raised*
1,004 People*
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Investment

Invest in the Truth & Conviction series by purchasing Non-Development Preferred Units at $1.00 per unit.

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Production

We will use funds to produce the first season of Truth & Conviction.

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Profits

If we earn enough from distribution revenue, you would receive 120% of your investment before the filmmakers take a profit distribution and then we split profits by ownership.

Overview

  1. THE STORY: Truth & Conviction will capture one of the most powerful stories to come out of WWII. Driven by the disappearance of his Jewish friend, a 16-year-old boy named Helmuth Hübener takes a stand for truth. His brave resistance leads him all the way to the highest court in Nazi Germany.

  2. THE LEGACY: Helmuth Hübener is an example of courage, strength, and an unwavering moral compass. This true story is captivating, but more importantly, inspiring for the rising generation. Teenagers feel a deep connection to one of their peers taking a stand for truth and freedom.

  3. NEEDS TO BE TOLD: This story is virtually unknown and needs to be told. It impacts everyone who hears it. It will be the first dramatic series about teenage resistance fighters in Nazi Germany. It brings all of us to ask the questions: “What would I have done? And what can I do now?”

  4. WORLDWIDE APPEAL: Some of the most successful and well-known films are set in the WWII era. We believe Truth & Conviction will appeal to a worldwide audience as did Schindler's List, Dunkirk, Saving Private Ryan, and many others. 

  5. STAND FOR TRUTH: Helmuth’s efforts are a shining example of peaceful resistance and the power of the written word. He was willing to sacrifice his life for Truth. 

  6. THE TEAM: Members of the Truth & Conviction team have been a part of many powerful projects, including Saints and Soldiers, Instrument of War, The Christ Child, The Card Counter, Stranger Things (Season Four), and HBO’s Chernobyl.**

  7. THE SOURCES: In order to do this story justice, the creators are pulling from direct sources such as the PBS documentary Truth & Conviction: The Helmuth Hübener Story, Nobel Laureate Gunter Gräss, and in-depth interviews with Karl-Heinz Schnibbe, the last surviving member of the Hübener Group and one of Helmuth’s best friends.

Invest in the Rising Generation

Today, many teenagers occupy themselves by scrolling through social media or posting dance videos.

But 80 years ago, three teenagers in Nazi Germany occupied themselves by standing up against Adolf Hitler.

This is a true story that needs to be told.

The rising generation is surrounded by “influencers”, but what they really need are role models. The Truth & Conviction series is an opportunity to invest in the rising generation* by giving them an inspiring example of youth their own age who took a stand for truth and freedom.

The True Story of Helmuth Hübener

Based on an incredible true story, Truth & Conviction explores the complex bond between a brilliant young resistance fighter and the Gestapo agent intent on hunting him down. Each is convinced of the rightness of his cause, and each is forced to deal with the consequences of his beliefs.

Helmuth Hübener is a bright 16-year-old from Hamburg whose days are consumed in his adventures with his three best friends — Karl, Rudi, and Salomon. They are inseparable and intent on enjoying life, even in Nazi Germany. 

Then Salomon disappears. Salomon is Jewish. And as Helmuth stands in the ransacked chaos of his friend’s empty apartment, he decides he must do something. He turns to the only weapon he knows: the written word. Overnight, hand-typed flyers on deep red parchment appear on the streets of Hamburg. “Hitler is a murderer. He is the guilty one.” 

It is the beginning. For the Gestapo, it is high treason.

To Officer Müssener, the typewriter is more dangerous than the pistol. He becomes obsessed with hunting down the culprits. But as he intensifies his pursuit, even more flyers appear. Helmuth has recruited his friends, Karl and Rudi. Nearly every night, the three teens post flyers throughout Hamburg. For Helmuth, each flyer is a strike against Hitler.

For Müssener, each flyer is evidence. But as he pursues the treasonous criminal among the ranks of college professors and seasoned intellectuals, he is forced to deal with the words hammered onto each flyer — words he comes to realize as the truth.

Nearly a year later, he finally apprehends the perpetrators and is stunned to discover that it was all carried out by three teenage boys. The prisoners are dragged before Hitler’s highest court, the Blood Tribunal, where they are convicted of high treason. 

Helmuth’s friends are sentenced to years in a Nazi prison camp. For Helmuth, the sentence is death. He would become the youngest resistance fighter to pay for his beliefs with his life.

He was seventeen.

What Will the Show Be Like?

In the vein of films like Braveheart and Spartacus, this series will explore the human struggle for freedom and will confirm the impact of one courageous voice. At the same time, it will capture the adventure and camaraderie of teenagers inspired to stand up for what is right, come what may. Think Schindler’s List meets Dead Poets Society.*

It is also a nuanced and complex story, reminiscent of the HBO series Chernobyl, interweaving the narratives of the brilliant young resistance fighter and the hardened Gestapo agent obsessed with hunting him down. 

Karl-Heinz Schnibbe was the last surviving member of the Hübener Group and one of Helmuth’s best friends. In 2001, he shared with us his story of taking a stand against Hitler and it changed our lives. It brought us to tears, but it also made us smile. Most of all it inspired us to want to be better, to be more courageous, to be more honest. 

Our goal is to create a series that will bring these same emotions and feelings to a worldwide audience. People everywhere feel a strong connection to stories of men and women overcoming the very human instinct of survival in order to stand up for what is right. Helmuth Hübener is a powerful example of inspiring self-sacrifice.

*Success in other projects does not guarantee success of Truth & Conviction. Revenue does not guarantee profits. There can be no assurance that the projected results will be obtained, and actual results may vary significantly from the projections.

The 20-Year Journey

On June 6, 2001, Matt Whitaker filmed an interview with Karl-Heinz Schnibbe, the last surviving member of a teenage resistance group in Nazi Germany. Karl told his incredible story of standing up to Hitler, following the lead of his 16-year-old best friend, Helmuth Hübener. The story Karl shared that day would have a lasting impact on Matt and he was determined to create a film and bring this story to the world.

Matt Whitaker with Karl-Heinz Schnibbe

Three months later, on September 11, 2001, the world would change forever. And for Matt and Karl, the importance of sharing this story of standing up for truth and freedom became even more critical. 

It would begin with a powerful PBS documentary in 2003, but Matt was soon making plans to adapt this story into a full-length feature film, intent on a worldwide theatrical release. 

Matt and his writing partner, Ethan Vincent, would craft a screenplay that has garnered praise from the highest levels of the entertainment industry. In 2005, Matt partnered with the creative team at Kaleidoscope Pictures and together they launched their campaign to get the story of Truth & Conviction out to a global audience.

The journey that began in earnest in 2005 has been filled with incredible success — like having multiple Academy Award-nominated actors to star in the film. There have also been some unforeseeable challenges — like a worldwide housing collapse in 2008 that caused both the investors and the actors to pull out. Not to mention a worldwide pandemic in 2020 that shut the whole film industry down...

Finally, in 2022, the Truth & Conviction team partnered with Angel Studios. Since then, their original 2-hour movie script has expanded into an even more powerful and in-depth 4-part limited series. They intend to begin filming in Europe as soon as full financing has been secured.

Deeply Rooted Values

Karl-Heinz Schnibbe, Rudi Wobbe, and their friend Helmuth Hübener were raised singing the old Christian hymn, “Do What Is Right, Let the Consequence Follow”. And that is exactly what they did, even though the consequence in their case meant prison camps and death.

This maxim to do what is right and let the consequence follow is the central theme of Truth & Conviction and is manifest in various measures throughout the series. Helmuth’s decision to type up anti-Hitler leaflets and distribute them throughout Hamburg was one striking example.

Almost every supporting character is presented with the choice of whether or not they’ll take a stand for what is right. There’s Helmuth’s church leader, himself a devout Nazi, who will decide if he’s going to turn over one of his own flock to the Gestapo. There’s also Helmuth’s stepfather, who will decide if he will stand in support of his condemned stepson within the very walls of Hitler’s highest court. 

This extends even to the Gestapo agent, Officer Müssener. After Helmuth is sentenced to death, Müssener must decide if he will put his own career and life in jeopardy by requesting clemency for the young man whose words of truth have shattered his belief in Hitler. This exploration into what it means to do what is right, come what may, confronts us with the question: “What would I have done?”

Those who experience this true story feel a renewed gratitude for liberty and freedom. Viewers are also reminded of the dangers of extreme nationalism and its evil companion, racism. 

Helmuth’s example of taking a stand for truth carries particular importance today, perhaps more than at any other time since the fall of Nazi Germany. As war has erupted again in Europe, we are confronted with the same questions that Helmuth and so many others faced, “Where can I find the truth? And when I find it, what will I do with it?”

In Helmuth’s case, he ignored the propaganda spouting from the “People’s Radio” and turned instead to the BBC broadcasts whispering the truth from an illegal shortwave radio. While listening, he realized the Truth about the Hitler regime. This fostered a deep Conviction in him that he needed to share the truth about the Nazis. Helmuth’s story reminds us that truth is paramount, that liberty is fragile, and that taking a stand for what is right is as important today as it has ever been.

The Challenge

Our challenge, and our greatest opportunity, is reaching the rising generation, particularly in the 16-24 age range. It’s this generation that will be drawn into the adventure and daring of normal teenagers standing up to one of the most notorious tyrants in history. 

We may not be able to get our kids to watch Ghandi or A Man For All Seasons with us (though they’d admittedly be more inclined to watch Braveheart), but we feel they will be excited about a story of their peers engaged in the fight against Hitler.

These are the youth who will stand up to defend and befriend that kid at school who gets bullied, who will speak the truth even when it brings the ridicule of their peers, and who will support the cause of freedom in their communities and throughout their lives.

While our opportunity lies with Gen Z, we predict Gen Xers and Baby Boomers will be most drawn to this story. People of these generations already have an appreciation for WWII history. They are inspired by true stories about individuals who lay down their lives for truth and freedom. They already love historical films and we believe Truth & Conviction will be their next favorite.

We see Truth & Conviction as an opportunity to build a growing community — people motivated and inspired to stand up for truth and freedom in their own lives. 

Angel Studios Model

Angel Studios is the distributor of the phenomenal series The Chosen. In 2021 alone, The Chosen earned more than $80 million in revenue*, which is extraordinary for a faith series, and even more incredible when one considers the groundbreaking “pay-it-forward” model they've pioneered. Angel Studios has helped creators raise over $30 million to create shows that amplify light.

When you invest in Truth & Conviction, you become a part owner of the project. Unlike other crowdfunding campaigns, when you back our project on Angel Funding, you’re not donating money, you’re investing in the show’s success. That means if the show succeeds in earning enough revenue, you could earn a share of the profits. And the profits on successful content could be significant.*

*There is no guarantee of any return. The success of other projects does not guarantee the success of this project. Revenue generated by Angel Studios does not indicate profits earned by The Chosen, LLC or its investors.

Perks

FAQs

Livestreams

LIVE from Hamburg: Walking Where Helmuth Walked

80th Anniversary | Team Honors Helmuth Huebener in Berlin

Remembering Through Music with Five For Fighting

The Power of Forbidden Music // with The Piano Guys!

The Highest Rated Torch Submitted to Angel Studios - Premiere

The Impact and Legacy | 3 New Mini-Docs

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