Witness 11 is a 2012 short drama film directed by Sean Mitchell and starring Oleg Liptsin, Paul Guadarrama and Matt Shelton.[1] It is based on the testimony of renowned German poet and playwright, Bertolt Brecht, during the height of the 1940s Red Scare.[2]

Witness 11
Directed bySean Mitchell
Written bySean Mitchell
Produced byHelen Jang Mitchell and Sean Mitchell
StarringOleg Liptsin
Paul Guadarrama
CinematographyChris Lawing
Music byLarry Groupe
Production
company
Metaphora Studios
Release date
  • 2012 (2012)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The film was shot in 2012 at the Berkeley City Club in Berkeley, California.[3]

Premise

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Called before the House Un-American Activities Committee.[4] (HUAC) during their notorious Hollywood Ten[5] investigation, famed German playwright Bertolt Brecht must choose between betraying himself and his friends, and imprisonment. In the end, Brecht testified that he had never been a member of the Communist Party.[4]

Cast

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  • Oleg Liptsin as Bertolt Brecht
  • Paul Guadarrama as Robert E. Stripling
  • Matt Shelton as Dalton Trumbo
  • Tatjana Dzambazova as Helene Brecht
  • Dean Enciroli as J. Parnell Thomas
  • Philip Estrin as Green
  • John Scacco as Rep. Vail
  • Steven Mann as Herbert Biberman
  • Fritz Zimmerman as Baumgardt
  • David Rosenthal as John Howard Lawson
  • Bret Grantham as Bartley Crum
  • Juliet Hilton as Barbara Brecht

References

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  1. ^ Sanchez, Don (20 March 2012). "Berkeley filmmaker raising money for short online". ABC 7 News. KGO-TV. Retrieved 21 January 2014.
  2. ^ Davison, Casey (16 July 2015). ""Witness 11" To Be Featured in St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase".
  3. ^ Taylor, Tracey (20 March 2012). "Film about Bertolt Brecht being shot at Berkeley City Club". Berkeleyside. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
  4. ^ a b Brecht HUAC hearing
  5. ^ Ceplair, Larry (2011). Anti-Communism in Twentieth Century America: A Critical History. Santa Barbara, CA: Praeger. p. 77.
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