The film “Rust” will make its world premiere next month, three years after the set shooting that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and enshrouded the production in scandal and legal troubles.
The Western drama starring and produced by Alec Baldwin will make its world premiere at the Camerimage Festival which takes place Nov. 16 to 23 in Toruń, Poland.
The film was thrust into the national spotlight when Baldwin was rehearsing a scene on the New Mexico set and a prop revolver he was holding went off, killing Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza.
Production was halted as Baldwin and the film’s armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, became the subject of legal action.
“Almost three years 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 said in a news release.
The premiere will include a screening of the film followed by a panel discussion with Souza and other filmmakers involved.
“In the panel, following the screening of Rust, the filmmakers will discuss events surrounding the film, offering insight into continuing production after Halyna’s death,” the release said. “Maintaining Hutchins’ artistic vision, as tremendously challenging as it was for the entire crew, was really important to the filmmakers, hoping to fulfil their duty to complete her work.”
Festival officials said Hutchins’ story will lead a conversation on the role of women in cinematography as well as safety on set.
After the shooting, Baldwin was charged with involuntary manslaughter by New Mexico prosecutors twice — the first time the charges were dropped in April 2023 and the second time in July a judge dismissed the case with prejudice, saying prosecutors hid evidence that may have been linked to the shooting. Baldwin, 66, who had pleaded not guilty, cried in court when the dismissal was announced.
Meanwhile, Gutierrez-Reed was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and in April was sentenced to 18 months in prison. A lawyer for Gutierrez-Reed had filed a motion to dismiss the charge after Baldwin’s mistrial, but the judge denied the request Monday saying her conviction still holds.
