The film Rust, featuring Alec Baldwin, is set to have its world premiere at a Polish film festival, three years after the tragic on-set shooting incident that resulted in the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
Alec Baldwin faced accusations of breaching fundamental gun safety protocols in the 2021 incident that led to Ms. Hutchins’ death; however, his involuntary manslaughter trial was dismissed earlier this year due to withheld evidence.
Olga Solovey, Ms. Hutchins’ mother, expressed yesterday her decision to boycott the festival for the film’s promotion, stating, “especially now when there is still no justice for my daughter.”
She added in a statement, “Baldwin continues to increase my pain with his refusal to apologise to me and his refusal to take responsibility for her death.”
The festival, ahead of the premiere, stated, “Almost three years after the tragic death of Halyna Hutchins, a Ukrainian cinematographer … Camerimage is set to honour her memory and remind the world of her legacy.”
Additionally, it mentioned that the screening would fulfill “a dream of Halyna, who even during the early stages of Rust‘s production convinced … Souza that their work should be shown” at the festival.
Read more: Alec Baldwin Rust Trial – A Timeline
During a rehearsal on set in New Mexico, Emmy-winning actor Baldwin was holding a revolver when a live round was discharged, fatally injuring the 42-year-old Ms. Hutchins.
Rapid rise
The inspiration for Rust came from research Mr. Souza conducted on the youngest individual ever hanged in the Old West.
Souza and Baldwin collaborated to transform the idea into a script about an outlaw on a quest to save his 13-year-old grandson from execution for an incident misrepresented as murder.
The film’s armourer, Hannah Gutierrez, was sentenced to 18 months in prison after being found guilty of involuntary manslaughter for mistakenly loading Baldwin’s prop gun with a live round.
Baldwin’s trial collapsed in July when it was disclosed that prosecutors had failed to disclose a collection of bullets located by detectives during their investigation.
Filming, which was halted due to the fatal incident, was ultimately completed last year in Montana.
Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was shot on the set of Rust on 21 October 2021
Originally from Ukraine, Ms. Hutchins grew up on a Soviet military base situated in the Arctic Circle.
After gaining experience as a journalist in Ukraine and various parts of Europe, she entered the esteemed AFI Conservatory in Los Angeles in 2015.
Ms. Hutchins swiftly ascended the ranks of Hollywood cinematographers.
In 2019, she was recognized by American Cinematographer magazine as one of the industry’s promising talents.
In the wake of the incident, industry guidelines concerning firearm use were updated for the first time in two decades last winter, mandating that only an armourer is permitted to hand a weapon to an actor.
Prosecutors indicated that Baldwin received the gun on set from the film’s first assistant director, who subsequently pleaded guilty to negligent use of a deadly weapon.
