Alec Baldwin’s Western film “Rust” is poised to make its world premiere next month, three years after the fatal on-set shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
Baldwin, 66, was both an actor and a producer in the indie film, which will debut at the EnergaCamerimage International Film Festival in Toruń, Poland, on Nov. 23.
According to the annual festival, the film’s screening will pay tribute to the 42-year-old cinematographer, who was killed on Oct. 21, 2021, after a prop firearm held by Baldwin discharged a live round during a scene rehearsal at a church near Santa Fe, New Mexico.
“After the tragic death of Halyna Hutchins, a Ukrainian cinematographer who was part of the festival family, Camerimage is set to honour her memory and remind the world of her legacy,” the festival shared in a statement published on its website on Oct. 3.
Following the screening, Joel Souza, the film’s director, will take part in a panel discussion alongside cinematographers Bianca Cline and Stephen Lighthill, the latter of whom mentored Hutchins during her studies at the American Film Institute in Los Angeles.
Souza, 51, was also wounded during the on-set shooting after a bullet—believed to be the same one that killed Hutchins—struck his shoulder.
During the panel, Souza and the two other filmmakers will touch on the “events surrounding the film” and offer insight into their decision to continue production after Hutchins’s tragic death.
“Maintaining Hutchins’ artistic vision, as tremendously challenging as it was for the entire crew, was really important to the filmmakers, hoping to fulfill their duty to complete her work,” EnergaCamerimage’s statement reads.
The filmmakers will also discuss Hutchins’s distinctive visual techniques and explore how Cline—who took over for Hutchins when filming resumed—endeavored to replicate the late cinematographer’s style.
“Thanks to Cline’s skill, the cinematography remains consistent throughout the film,” the festival offered, adding that the filmmakers will also address important issues facing the film industry, such as safety protocols on set and the involvement of women in film.
Legal Proceedings
Based on the information in the EnergaCamerimage International Film Festival’s press release, Baldwin will not attend the “Rust” screening.The day after the shooting incident, the actor took to social media to express his remorse over the unexpected tragedy.
“I’m fully cooperating with the police investigation to address how this tragedy occurred,” he added.
Baldwin was tried for involuntary manslaughter in connection with Hutchins’s death. The actor pleaded not guilty and faced a maximum of 18 months in prison if convicted.
However, New Mexico Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer dismissed the case halfway through the trial in July, citing the prosecution’s failure to provide the defense with critical evidence. Since the charge was dismissed with prejudice, it cannot be brought against Baldwin again.
The film’s armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, who loaded the gun held by Baldwin, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in March and sentenced to 18 months in prison the following month.
Attorneys representing Gutierrez-Reed requested that the court either overturn her conviction or provide her with a new trial, claiming that the prosecution did not disclose evidence that might have exonerated her.
However, on Sept. 30, Sommer upheld Gutierrez-Reed’s involuntary manslaughter conviction.
“Defendant has not established that there is a reasonable probability that, had the evidence been available to Defendant, the evidence would have produced a different verdict,” the judge wrote in a ruling.
