“Rust,” the movie at the center of Alec Baldwin’s fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, is set for its world premiere. The Alec Baldwin movie, which received lots of public attention after the unfortunate incident, will be up for screening in Poland at the 2024 EnergaCamerimage International Film Festival in November. But is it the right time to unveil the movie?
The film’s producers and director think the time is ripe to showcase the movie, especially in honor of the slain cast member. The premiere will include a panel discussion on the movie and Hutchin’s artistic expertise, which she brought into its production.
Joel Souza, the movie’s director who was also injured in the tragic incident, will be one of the panelists in what organizers promise to be a “unique” discussion. The premiere is set to take place during the festival, which will run from November 16 to November 23, 2024.
Other panelists include cinematographer Bianca Cline, who took Hutchin’s place on the set, and Stephen Lighthill, Hutchins’ mentor at the film school AFI. Precisely, they will talk about the “events surrounding the film, offering insight into continuing production after Hutchins’ death,” according to a press release.
“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,” the release stated.
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According to a source, Baldwin won’t be present at the premiere. However, it is unclear if the movie’s other major characters, such as Patrick Scott McDermott, Travis Fimmel, Josh Hopkins, and Frances Fisher, will be in attendance.
What Exactly Happened on the “Rust” Set?
The unexpected happened on the set of “Rust” on Thursday, October 21, 2021, when a supposedly unloaded prop gun went off during rehearsals. The gun was in the custody of Alec Baldwin, the film’s star and co-producer, when it expelled a live round towards the chest of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, who was 42 at the time. She didn’t survive.
The remnants of the slug also hit Souza’s shoulder, making its way to a distance so dangerously close to his spine. Alec Baldwin was practicing a gun-drawing technique on the New Mexico set when the round went off. Baldwin maintained that he was unaware that a live round was present in the revolver.
Ironically, the movie was about an “accidental killing.” One of the film’s loglines read, “Rust tells the story of a 13-year-old boy who left to fend for himself and his younger brother following their parents’ deaths in 1880s Wyoming, goes on the run with his long-estranged grandfather after he’s sentenced to hang for the accidental killing of a local rancher.”
Following the fatal shooting, Hutchins’ husband, Matthew, sued Baldwin for wrongful death. One year after that, Hutchins’ parents and sister also filed a lawsuit against Baldwin. Their suit claimed battery, negligence, loss of consortium, as well as intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Later, in June 2023, a New Mexico court authorized a settlement agreement in Hutchins’ husband’s suit. As a result, Hutchins’ son, Andros Hutchins, will get compensation for his mother’s demise. However, Baldwin faced charges of involuntary manslaughter on January 31, 2023. But prosecutors later dropped the charges.
In contrast, Gutierrez-Reed, the movie’s armorer, wasn’t as lucky. She received a guilty verdict for the same charges and is currently serving an 18-month prison sentence.
Who Is Halyna Hutchins, the Alec Baldwin Victim?
Halyna Hutchins is a Ukrainian cinematographer. She was born on April 9, 1979, in Horodets, Ukraine, and grew up in a Soviet military base in the Arctic Circle. Hutchins moved to Los Angeles, California, leaving her family behind in her home country.
She started her career as an investigative journalist thanks to her years studying international journalism back home at the Kyiv National University. Afterward, she practiced for a while in Europe before relocating to America.
After studying at the American Film Institute (AFI) Conservatory in Los Angeles, she graduated in 2015. Afterward, Hutchins participated in the Fox DP Lab Program, the product of a collaboration between the AFI and 21st Century Fox.
After the program, she began working on high-profile Hollywood projects. Halyna Hutchins worked on 2019’s “Darlin’,” 2020’s “Blindfire” and “Archenemy,” as well as 2021’s “The Mad Hatter.”
Halyna Hutchins met her husband, Matthew Hutchins, in South Carolina in 2005 while she was in the States with a student visa. They married soon after and have a son and only child, Andros, who is now 12.
Speaking to the media after his wife’s death, an obviously devastated Matthew said, “I don’t think there are words to communicate the situation… I think that we will need a little bit of time before we can really encapsulate her life in a way that is easy to communicate.”
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Can Alec Baldwin Be Tried Again?
After getting his freedom from the involuntary manslaughter charges, the actor faced other charges. On October 17, 2023, special prosecutors announced plans to charge Alec Baldwin again for involuntary manslaughter. The New Mexico prosecutors, Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis, disclosed that they have found “additional facts” in the case.
The lawyers made good on their promise. On January 19, 2024, the court indicted Baldwin on the new charges, to which he pleaded not guilty. Fortunately, Judge Mary Marlowe dismissed the charges after the defense argued that the prosecution covered evidence about the ammunition that could have freed the actor.
Will Rust Ever Premiere?
Yes. “Rust” will premiere in November during the 2024 EnergaCamerimage International Film Festival. The event will include panel discussions from Joel Souza, the movie’s director and co-producer, and Bianca Cline, the cinematographer who replaced Halyna Hutchins.
Bianca Cline will discuss how she tried to fit into Hutchins’ unique role in the project. Festival organizers also say the discussions will “serve as a starting point for a conversation about the role of women in cinematography and their contributions to the art of filmmaking.”
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