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The one person who actually went to prison for the 2021 shooting death of Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins is free just weeks after the tragedy suffused Alec Baldwin starring indie Western premiered and then promptly disappeared in a cloud of box office dust earlier this month.

According to the New Mexico Department of Corrections, the film’s armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was granted parole earlier this week and released on May 23. Having served the state statute required 85% of her 18-month sentence and received extra marks for good behavior and the completion of a drug rehab program, records show Gutierrez-Reed having signed out of the Western New Mexico Correctional Facility on Friday morning. She quickly headed to her home in Bullhead City, Arizona where she will serve out her parole.

A very situation specific part of that parole is that Gutierrez-Reed cannot have contact with Hutchins’ widower, child or any other member of the filmmaker’s family.

Four years after the on-set death of its cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, the independent western “Rust” received a limited theatrical release this weekend alongside a home release on video on-demand. But the film has gone largely ignored, grossing just $25,000 from 115 theaters.

“Rust” stars Baldwin as Harland Rust, a wanted outlaw who comes out of hiding to rescue his estranged grandson, who is sentenced to death for accidentally killing a rancher. Twenty-six reviews have been logged for the film on Rotten Tomatoes, with a 42% score.

In 2021, Hutchins was killed when Baldwin, who co-wrote and produced the film along with starring in it, accidentally discharged a gun he thought had blanks inside while rehearsing a scene. The live round struck Hutchins and also wounded director Joel Souza.

Prop armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to 18 months in prison. Baldwin was also charged with involuntary manslaughter, but those charges were...

Relatives of Halyna Hutchins, the cinematographer tragically killed on the Santa Fe set of Western Rust, have come out in support of the film, encouraging movie lovers to see it.

Olga Solovey, the Dp’s mother, said, “I watched my daughter’s stunning film twice. I was so happy for the success of my daughter because it was filmed so beautifully. I would want everybody to watch it because it was the dream of my daughter and she would want people to see it.”

Solovey continued, “I would want people to see the talent, the beauty, the success, and I’m just so immensely proud of [Halyna]. She had a very specific style of cinematography and she saw the world differently. She could see and capture how the sun sets and how animals behaved. She saw the beauty of it all. She could capture it. She could capture nature. I like the film.

Four years after the tragic death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of Rust, Alec Baldwin’s Western is finally releasing in theaters. Despite, or perhaps because of, the controversy surrounding it, this film will likely go under most people’s radar. It’s a surprisingly heartfelt Western about the bond between a young vagrant and an aging cowboy, beautifully shot and nicely paced. Still, it’s difficult to watch without the weight of its history looming over it.

Rust Review

Rust is, unfortunately, doomed to always be overshadowed by the tragic events of its production. In October 2021, Hutchins was killed after a live bullet was discharged from Baldwin’s prop gun. This horrifying accident came as a result of multiple catastrophic failures in the production process. The film now carries an unavoidable legacy of tragedy that colors every frame.

The story follows Lucas Hollister (Patrick Scott McDermott), a...

Rust, the indie Western with a tragic backstory, is now out at at some 115 theaters through Falling Forward Films, as well as on PVOD. The release comes well over three years since the film’s cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed by a bullet from Alec Baldwin‘s gun on the New Mexico film set.

An on-again-off-again involuntary manslaughter criminal case against the producer and star was put to rest last December. Multiple civil suits related to the shooting remain in the courts in California and New Mexico. A jury found Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the armorer for the production, guilty of involuntary manslaughter for the October 2021 incident and she was sentenced to 16 months in prison.

Amid all that, the movie itself has taken a back seat, until now. Deadline’s review calls the release “bittersweet” but notes “the exceptional cinematography of Hutchins, as well as Bianca Cline, who came in to film the remaining scenes.

It's no secret that Rust is one of the most controversial projects to get completed in recent memory due to the tragic death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. However, despite that fact, critics have weighed in on the final product, and it seems to be a heavily divisive entry in the Western genre. It's hard to separate the behind-the-scenes tragedy from what is on-screen, but thankfully, it seems Hutchins' work is getting the bulk of the praise despite mixed reviews.

As of this writing, Rust debuted with a 50% score from critics on Rotten Tomatoes based on 20 reviews, which gives it a rotten label. The middling score is reflective of the deeply controversial nature of the film and everything surrounding it. Some critics were quick to point out the film's "bare-bones" plot, while others were impressed by the film's grim visual aesthetic. Meanwhile, MovieWeb's own review by Julian Roman praised Rust as...

There is an alt-timeline in which Rust, writer-director Joel Souza’s pulpy and pathos-fueled Western, is just another tale of an outlaw in his autumn years. It’s simply the latest entry in a genre whose century-plus history is filled with similarly modest sagebrush epics. After a brief theatrical run, a slightly longer tenure on VOD and a lifetime of cable re-runs every Father’s Day, this frontier opus would trot off into the sunset as a footnote in Alec Baldwin’s post-30 Rock, pre-reality TV show career. You know,...

Reviews are in for Rust, the long-delayed Western starring Alec Baldwin. While critics praise the film's striking cinematography by the late Halyna Hutchins, they agree the film is defined by the tragic incident that occurred during its production in 2021, when Baldwin discharged a revolver he believed was loaded with blanks. Instead, a live round was fired, killing Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza.

"Halyna Hutchins’ dusk-and-sunset cinematography, abetted by the work of Bianca Cline, may be the best thing about Rust; the film has a moody sensuality to it," says Variety's Owen Gleiberman. "It's a handsome and watchable indie art Western, set in 1882, that turns into a sentimental cross-generational buddy film. Yet I can’t say that the movie, in the end, is especially good."

Lovia Gyarkye of The Hollywood Reporter also notes the cinematography: "Rust feels more accomplished in other areas, like the cinematography and the coordination of the fight scenes.

After several years and enormous tragedy, the ill-fated Rust will finally be released on Friday.

And the Western’s writer-director, Joel Souza, has complicated thoughts on his creation — given the death of the movie’s cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, who was accidentally shot in 2021 by the film’s star, Alec Baldwin. After much debate, Souza and the cast and crew returned to finish the film.

“[Hutchins’ family] wanted it completed,” Souza told The Guardian. “I’d been repelled by the thought of going back, but [then] it started to appeal. And I couldn’t live with the idea of someone else doing it.”

That said, Souza quite naturally wishes he could go back in time and have never made the film. “Talk about the butterfly effect — I wish I never wrote the damn movie,” he said. “You think about the chain of events that started that morning [of the shooting]. Bad decision after bad decision was made.

Plot: A boy 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 is sentenced to hang for the accidental killing of a local rancher.

Review: Most people will already know of Rust due to the controversy that has long surrounded the project. Halyna Hutchins‘ death is an absolute tragedy and is a dark cloud hanging over the film. Like Brandon Lee with The Crow or the tragedy of Twilight Zone: The Movie, some things will always be associated with their respective films, and some people will never get past it. And it’s really up to the individual viewer as to whether or not they want to watch the film given the circumstances, but it should be noted that profits on the film will be going to Hutchins’ family. But does Rust stand on its own?...

In the dusty expanse of Wyoming Territory, 1882, life meant balancing scarcity and steel (and occasionally a misplaced bullet). Rust arrives as an indie art–Western that tiptoes between a grim morality tale and an unlikely buddy film—think True Grit with a generational twist.

Lucas Hollister, a 13-year-old orphan, accidentally kills a rancher while defending his little brother. The frontier court’s answer is swift: the gallows. Enter Harland Rust, a laconic gunslinger with more past sins than sermons, who busts his grandson out of jail and leads him toward the Mexican border.

That setup carries the weight of classical tragedy and a wry nod to our fascination with outlaw folklore.

Behind the camera, the film bears a solemn dedication to Halyna Hutchins, whose final frames linger like a silent elegy. Her dusk-and-sunset compositions haunt every scene, reminding us that art and loss often ride in tandem.

Here, the Western...

More than three years after an on-set shooting killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza, Rust is opening to the public. The film will be available through a limited theatrical release beginning May 2 and for digital purchase on platforms including Apple TV and Prime Video starting May 1.

Souza, who co-wrote the script and directed the film, has spoken about the decision to complete the project following the incident. “I’d been repelled by the thought of going back,” he said in an interview with The Guardian. “But now it started to appeal. And I couldn’t live with the idea of someone else doing it.”

The October 2021 shooting occurred when Alec Baldwin discharged a prop revolver that was believed to be safe. A live round was in the chamber, resulting in Hutchins’ death and Souza’s injury. Production was suspended, and the film’s future was uncertain until Hutchins’ family encouraged its completion.

Rust is certainly one independently made movie that doesn’t need publicity.

The Western starring Alec Baldwin, who also came up with the story and serves as a producer, was hit by tragedy during production in October 2021 when Baldwin’s prop gun discharged during a rehearsal, killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and also injuring director-screenwriter Joel Souza. Production on the film halted immediately and finally resumed in April 2023. Legal cases involving Baldwin and armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, both charged with manslaughter, ended with Baldwin’s case being dismissed and Gutierrez-Reed found guilty.

The events of this tragedy made headlines around the globe and certainly raised doubts that the film itself would be finished, let alone see the light of day. In the end it was decided that to honor Hutchins’ final work the film would be completed, no profits would be shared by the original producers, and Hutchins’ widower Matthew Hutchins would...

It’s nearly impossible to critique a film like Joel Souza’s western “Rust” because, in many respects, the film itself feels irrelevant. No matter how “Rust” turned out the inescapable truth is that on October 21, 2021 a tragedy occurred on set, ending the life of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

The film’s star, Alec Baldwin, was rehearsing a shot, brandishing a gun in front of the camera. It fired. It should not have. Regardless of who is to blame — which is a very important question, but not one I’m qualified to answer — Hutchins died from her wounds. The film was put on hold, then finally resumed production, and now… here we are.

Is it a good movie? That depends on your definition of “good,” I suppose. It’s hard to celebrate any production where such an unthinkable, avoidable event took place. And it’s nearly impossible to stop thinking about...

In another timeline, Joel Souza’s Rust would come and go with mild fanfare and maybe some critical praise. The film follows a 13 year-old boy (Patrick Scott McDermott) who runs from the law — he’s been sentenced to death after accidentally shooting a local rancher — with his estranged grandfather (Alec Baldwin). It’s a no-frills Western, a classic story of cowboys and outlaws that revels in gorgeous scenery and the Puritanical moral dilemmas foundational to much of this nation’s mythology.

But Rust is a more fraught cultural product. Four years ago, Baldwin, who co-wrote as well as produced the film, accidentally discharged a weapon he thought only had blanks. A live round was in the chamber, and the bullet fatally wounded cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and also hit Souza. What followed was a dramatic, closely reported story that revealed on-set negligence and raised questions about industry practices around gun safety.

“Rust” director Joel Souza says he couldn’t have imagined anyone else completing the Western movie after the on-set accident that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins when Alec Baldwin’s gun accidentally discharged, also injuring Souza. Three and a half years later, the movie is finally opening in theaters Friday.

Souza told the Guardian that when he first considered finishing the film, “I’d been repelled by the thought of going back, but now it started to appeal. And I couldn’t live with the idea of someone else doing it.” But Hutchins’ family wanted to honor her by having the film with her final work completed, so he agreed to complete the Western.

It wasn’t easy returning to the set, Souza said: “I was a mess going in and a mess coming out. The crew carried me through. My family carried me through. Emotionally, I was all over the map.

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Alec Baldwin is very much in the Rust trailer, in case you were wondering how they’d handle that.

More than three years ago, tragedy struck the set of the Western film. Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins lost her life.

Now, the trailer is out.

Watch the Rust teaser for yourself. A sense of unease permeates every moment — at least, if you know what happened.

On the premiere episode of ‘The Baldwins,’ Alec Baldwin had clearly seen happier times. (Image Credit: TLC) The ‘Rust’ trailer is out

As you can see below, the Rust trailer is full of Western vistas, horses, tension, death, and old-timey shootouts.

Yes, some of it feels uncomfortably close to the tragedy that befell that film set.

And yes, Alec Baldwin takes center stage in multiple scenes in the trailer.

The film follows 13-year-old orphan, Lucas Hollister, who accidentally kills a Kansas rancher. He then...

It's difficult to know how to feel about the potential release of Joel Souza's "Rust." This is the independently produced Western that became a major news story in 2021 when a .45 Colt revolver brandished by star Alec Baldwin -- who continues to claim he did not pull the trigger, hence the bizarre wording here -- fired a live round directly through the chest of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and into Souza's shoulder. The set's armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, was ultimately found guilty of involuntary manslaughter for her negligence in loading the weapon. Meanwhile, involuntary manslaughter charges against Baldwin were dismissed with prejudice by New Mexico Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer.

Principal photography on "Rust" was eventually completed in 2023. This delay caused cast members Brady Noon and Jensen Ackles to drop out of the movie, but Souza and company dragged the film across the finish line and screened it at the Camerimage film...

The trailer for “Rust” has been released.

The feature, the production of which was forever marked by the tragic death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins after a prop gun fired, has unveiled its first footage with lead star Alec Baldwin. Director Joel Souza was also injured in the accident. The official synopsis reads: “Set in 1880s Kansas, the film follows orphan Lucas McCalister (Patrick Scott McDermott), who “accidentally kills a rancher and is sentenced to hang,” according to its plot description. “In a twist of fate, his estranged grandfather, the notorious outlaw Harland Rust (Baldwin), breaks him out of jail and takes him on the run toward Mexico. As they flee across the unforgiving wilderness, the fugitive pair must outrun the determined U.S. Marshal Wood Helm (Josh Hopkins) and a ruthless bounty hunter named Preacher (Travis Fimmel).”

The October 21, 2021 accident involved actor/producer Baldwin, who was holding the gun during...

A trailer has been released for “Rust,” Alec Baldwin’s Western film that took a tragic turn when a prop gun being used by the actor accidentally killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza during production.

Set in 1880s Kansas, the film follows orphan Lucas McCalister (Patrick Scott McDermott), who “accidentally kills a rancher and is sentenced to hang,” according to its plot description. “In a twist of fate, his estranged grandfather, the notorious outlaw Harland Rust (Baldwin), breaks him out of jail and takes him on the run toward Mexico. As they flee across the unforgiving wilderness, the fugitive pair must outrun the determined U.S. Marshal Wood Helm (Josh Hopkins) and a ruthless bounty hunter named Preacher (Travis Fimmel).”

The on-set death of Hutchins in October 2021 resulted in Baldwin being charged with involuntary manslaughter, but the case was dismissed in July of last year on the...

Nearly four years after the accidental shooting incident that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, the Alec Baldwin-starring Rust will soon hit screens in a limited theatrical run followed by a home release sometime in the coming months, according to the film's director Joel Souza. With an official release date on the horizon, Souza sat down for an interview with Vanity Fair, who also published a series of exclusive first-look stills from Rust.

In the interview, Souza, who was also injured in the shooting incident, revealed that he struggled with whether to finish Rust, but he ultimately felt it was what Hutchins would have wanted.

"We worked very closely together. The work she was doing was her best work, and for it to just vanish... I don't expect people to necessarily all agree or understand, but every fiber of my being just tells me that I can't let that disappear. It's...

A tense Q&a session on Tuesday night at an FYC screening of a new documentary about late Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins suggests the film underwent substantial changes in tone and content from the filmmakers’ original intent.

Ever since Hutchins died on the 2021 set of the indie Western, the Ukraine-born cinematographer has slipped into the background, as the sprawling investigation into her accidental shooting death and the high-profile trials of Alec Baldwin and armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed have claimed the spotlight in news coverage.

The documentary, Last Take: Rust and the Story of Halyna Hutchins, which will premiere on Hulu March 11, seemed like it might push Hutchins back into the center of the frame. Made by Hutchins’ close friends, Circus of Books and An Update on Our Family director Rachel Mason and producer Julee Metz, and executive produced by her widower, Matthew Hutchins, the doc had extraordinary levels of access. Mason...

It was a story that shook Hollywood: A scene gone wrong on an independent film killed a rising cinematographer, with a well-known star holding the prop gun that fired the fatal bullet.

Now, a documentary revisiting the death of Halyna Hutchins on the 2021 set of Rust is set to shine a light on the cinematographer and the human toll that the tragedy took on those around her. Last Take: Rust and the Story of Halyna will feature emotional conversations with Rust director Joel Souza, camera assistant Lane Luper, costume designer Terese Davis and the film’s new cinematographer Bianca Cline talking about the day of Hutchins’ death and the aftermath, the film’s first trailer demonstrated on Monday.

The trailer features police bodycam footage from the investigation of the death, news coverage of the story and what appears to be behind-the-scenes video from Rust. “What people really wanted from this is entertainment,...

More than three years after the death of Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, we are finally nearing the moment we weren’t sure would ever happen: the release of the western, whose production was halted and haunted by the accidental shooting death of Hutchins. And while director Joel Souza does hope that Rust serves as a tribute to Hutchins’ work and legacy, he doesn’t want viewers constantly distracted by the death.

Souza partook in a post-screening Q&a for Rust, where one attendee asked which scenes Halyna Hutchins filmed versus those from eventual replacement cinematographer Bianca Cline. To this, Souza replied, “That’s a terrible question. Everything we were doing, she already did. This is Halyna’s film, and I hope that people watch it that way and not try to decipher who shot what.”

As for specifics on the work of Hutchins while filming Rust, Souza added, “There are...

The most eagerly awaited A-lister expected at the Turin Film Festival in Italy, which opened Friday, is not honoree Sharon Stone, nor is it Angelina Jolie, who will be on hand to screen her new movie as a director, Without Blood.

It is instead Alec Baldwin, whose involuntary manslaughter case following the tragic accident on the set of his indie Western Rust was dismissed in August. On Oct. 21, 2021, Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed on the set of the film when Baldwin fired a live round from a prop revolver that was supposed to be filled with dummy bullets. The shot also hit the film’s director, Joel Souza, in the shoulder, narrowly missing his spine.

Baldwin will fly into the Northern Italian town of Turin on Monday, where he will be given the festival’s prestigious Stella a Mole, a career achievement honor. He will meet the international media...

Good afternoon subscribers, Max Goldbart back in the saddle in a week that saw showcases and spin-offs galore, along with plenty controversy. Do read on. And sign up here.

‘Rust’ Comes To Poland

Torun, Poland – November 20: Cinematographer Bianca Cline (L) and film director Joel Souza (R) continue the discussions following screening of the movie ‘Rust’

Alec Baldwin Western overshadows: It would be an understatement to say that the Camerimage Film Festival had a bumpy ride in its run-up this year, but it finally kicked off this past weekend in Torun, Poland, and Zac was on the ground. This year’s edition had a bumper lineup of awards season titles such as The Brutalist and Wicked, while also managing to enlist two-time Oscar winner Cate Blanchett for the international competition jury. But it’s easy to understand how this buzz was comfortably overshadowed by the festival’s shock decision to...

Three years after the tragic on-set shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, Alec Baldwin’s indie Western Rust was finally unveiled before the public on Wednesday. The film received a warm reception from a supportive crowd at Poland’s Camerimage Film Festival, an industry-favorite event that famously highlights the craft of cinematography.

Prior to the premiere, Rust‘s director Joel Souza and Bianca Cline, the cinematographer who stepped in after a wrongful death lawsuit was settled, participated in an in-depth feature with The Hollywood Reporter to share their story of returning to set a year and a half after the accident to complete the movie. The Rust team and one of Hutchins’ filmmaker friends gave impassioned speeches at the premiere in Poland, explaining how they continued working on the film only because the potential financial gain from its theatrical release would benefit the late cinematographer’s widower and son.

Rust...

“What can we do to make this better?” Halyna Hutchins’ quote appears in the closing credits of “Rust,” the movie in which she was shot and killed.

The production was on day 12 of a 21-day schedule when the accident and Hutchins’ death occurred. It took some 18 months to resume shooting. The production shifted from New Mexico to Montana, “for 10 million different reasons,” director Joel Souza, who himself was injured in the accident, said.

The cast and crew were invited to return, but some had to be replaced. Souza hired Bianca Cline, who had originally interviewed for the job, to continue Hutchins’ work.

The completed version of the film had its world premiere November 20 at EnergaCAMERIMAGE, the Polish cinematography festival itself mired in controversy this year, with Souza and Cline in attendance. Two days before, Souza screened the movie from his laptop for critics. He and Cline later sat for an interview with IndieWire,...

It has been three years since the accidental shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the Alec Baldwin western Rust. The film made its debut at the Camerimage Festival in Poland in November 2024 to a "subdued" and thin crowd, Deadline reports. One person not in attendance was Hutchins' mother, Olga Solovey, who publicly refused to appear at the premiere, stating that she viewed the release of the film as an attempt to profit off her daughter's death.

According to Variety, in a statement issued the day before the screening by her lawyer, Gloria Allred, Solovey said:

It was always my hope to meet my daughter in Poland to watch her work come alive on screen... Unfortunately, that was ripped away from me when Alec Baldwin discharged his gun and killed my daughter. Alec Baldwin continues to increase my pain with his refusal to apologize to me and...

Rustreceived an emotional world premiere at Poland’s Camerimage Film Festival on Wednesday (Nov 20), three years after the death of its Ukrainian-born cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

Director Joel Souza told Screen that Hutchins would have wanted the western to premiere at the festival, which celebrates cinematography. Hutchins died in hospital on October 21, 2021, hours after a prop gun held by starAlec Baldwin went off and hit her during rehearsal at Bonanza Creek Ranch near Sante Fe, New Mexico.

Souza, who was injured in the incident and eventually resumed production in Montana in 2023, said: “I’m very proud to have it here. Halyna...

Rustreceived an emotional world premiere at Poland’s Camerimage Film Festival on Wednesday, three years on from the death of its Ukrainian-born cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

Director Joel Souza told Screen that Hutchins would have wanted the western to premiere at the festival, which celebrates cinematography. Hutchins died in hospital on October 21 2021, hours after a prop gun held by starAlec Baldwin went off and hit her during rehearsal at Bonanza Creek Ranch near Sante Fe, New Mexico.

Souza, who was injured in the incident and eventually resumed production in Montana in 2023, said: “I’m very proud to have it here. Halyna...

Rust filmmaker Joel Souza says he pushed back on several approaches to complete the beleaguered western but finally returned to the project at the direction of Halyna Hutchins’ husband Matthew.

“In the months afterward I couldn’t even have conceived of it,” Souza said of his initial thoughts about returning to the project during a Q&a for the film at Poland’s Camerimage Film Festival.

“I frankly couldn’t even have conceived of being back on set ever again or opening my laptop to write ever again. It just hurt too much.”

Hutchins was killed and Souza was injured on October 21, 2021, after the Colt .45 gun lead actor Alec Baldwin was pointing at the cinematographer fired off a live round during a rehearsal at the Bonanza Creek Ranch near Santa Fe, Nm, where the movie filming.

Souza said that as “time went on” he was approached several times about reviving...

A strange page in the book of contemporary cinema history was written this afternoon in Torun, Poland where the beleaguered Alec Baldwin western Rust screened publicly for the first time.

The screening, which is one of the centerpiece events of this year’s Camerimage Film Festival, took place just over three years after the film’s cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed after a firearm was discharged by Baldwin during an on-set rehearsal.

Joel Souza, the film’s director, and Bianca Cline, the replacement cinematographer, introduced today’s debut screening, alongside Camerimage chiefs Marek Żydowicz and Kazik Suwała. The event was was hosted at a satellite venue away from Camerimage’s main festival hub.

Souza and Cline gave emotional introductions and thanked the audience for attending. Cline said Rust gives a view of Halyna’s “vision of the world” while Souza told the crowd in the room that the screening was...

Over three years after the accidental on-set death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, Alec Baldwin’s Western film “Rust” received a polite response during its controversial premiere screening Wednesday at the EnergaCamerimage festival in Toruń, Poland.

The audience clapped through the film’s closing credits, strengthening their applause when a dedication to Hutchins appeared. However, the film didn’t attract a capacity crowd and a fair amount of moviegoers left the theater before the credits ended, prior to a Q&a with director Joel Souza — who was also injured in the October 2021 gun accident that took place while filming in New Mexico — and cinematographer Bianca Cline, who completed the movie.

Producer and star Alec Baldwin — who was handling the prop gun at the time of the accident — was not invited to attend the festival, according to an event spokesperson. Baldwin was charged with manslaughter but the case was dismissed on the...

“Rust” finally made its world premiere Wednesday with a daytime screening and filmmaker Q&a session at the EnergaCamerimage Festival in Poland, where a brief tribute to the late cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was unveiled during the closing credits.

The words “For Halyna” briefly appeared, followed by a quote she often repeated: What can we do to make this better?,” according to multiple media reports.

Not in attendance: Producer and star Alec Baldwin, who was reportedly not invited to attend the festival. Hutchins mother, who blames Baldwin for her daughter’s death and says he never called to apologize, also did not attend, and detailed her reasons in a Tuesday statement.

Director Joel Souza (L) and “Camerimage” festival director Marek Zydowicz (R) chat before the first screening of “Rust” in Torun, Poland, November 20, 2024. (Photo by Wojtek Radwanski / Afp)

EnergaCamerimage announced last month that “Rust” would make its debut at the international cinematography film festival in Toruń,...

Three years after the tragic on-set shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, Alec Baldwin’s indie Western Rust was finally unveiled before the public on Wednesday — and the reception was one of emphatic embrace.

The film premiered in a supportive environment at Poland’s Camerimage Film Festival, an industry-respected specialty event focusing on achievements in cinematography. Much of the assembled crowd at the premiere was made up of working directors of photography and production professionals. As the lights came up on the screening, Rust‘s director Joel Souza and Bianca Cline, the cinematographer who stepped in to finish the movie after a wrongful death lawsuit was settled, were greeted by a rousing round of applause.

Prior to the screening, Camerimage’s director Kazimierz Suwala invited the crowd to stand up and observe a minute of silence in honor of Hutchins. The festival’s founder Marek Zydowicz then took the mic...

Three years after an on-set gun accident claimed the life of “Rust” cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, the film premiered Wednesday at the EnergaCamerimage Festival in Poland. But many questions remain, including, why was the movie finished?

“It was not an easy decision,” admitted director Joel Souza in an interview with Variety at Camerimage, where he introduced “Rust” with Bianca Cline, the Dp who finished the movie. “I initially said no, numerous times. But it started to become clear to me that this is what the family wanted, that it was going to benefit them. And so that aspect of it was sort of an initial psychological hurdle that I cleared. Maybe, if this is important and they want me to do this, how can I say no?”

The director, who was also struck by a bullet and injured in the accident, said he then started to consider the notion of “preserving everything that she did.

The closing credits of Alec Baldwin’s Western film “Rust” begin with the words “for Halyna,” a tribute to cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, who died following a gun accident while filming the movie on location in New Mexico in October 2021.

This is followed by a quote — “What can we do to make this better?” — which is attributed to Hutchins.

Her director of photography credit then reads “Halyna Hutchins, ASC.” That distinction is only used by members invited to join honorary society American Society of Cinematographers, to which Hutchins was named posthumously. At the time of the accident, she was considered an up-and-coming talent, with credits including 2020’s “Archenemy” and “Blindfire.”

“Rust” had its premiere on Wednesday at the EnergaCamerimage international cinematography film festival in Toruń, Poland. The screening was preceded by a short introduction by director Joel Souza, who was injured in the accident; and cinematographer Bianca Cline, who completed the...

Despite the protestations of some DPs who felt the screening was in poor taste, controversial Western Rust officially premiered at Poland's EnergaCamerimage Festival Wednesday. In 2021, cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed on the set of the film by a bullet discharged from lead actor Alec Baldwin's prop gun. The past...

The world premiere of the film “Rust” at Poland’s Camerimage festival revived debate about the tragic on-set shooting that murdered cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in 2021.

Olga Solovey, Hutchins’ mother, will not attend the screening, citing actor Alec Baldwin’s apparent lack of repentance and what she describes as attempts to “unjustly profit” on her daughter’s murder. The sold-out screening represents a difficult milestone for both the film’s production team and Hutchins’ family.

“It was always my hope to meet my daughter in Poland and see her work come to life on screen,” Solovey stated through her attorney, Gloria Allred. “Unfortunately, that was ripped away from me when Alec Baldwin discharged his gun and killed my daughter.”

The film’s route to the screen has been riddled with legal issues. Baldwin recently had his involuntary manslaughter charges dismissed by a New Mexico judge. On the other hand, Solovey’s...

The mother of Halyna Hutchins, Olga Solovey, denounced actor Alec Baldwin ahead of the Rust premiere. Solovey said the actor refused to apologize for the accidental shooting death of her daughter and accused him of seeking to “unjustly profit” from the tragedy.

“It was always my hope to meet my daughter in Poland to watch her work come alive on screen,” Solovey said in a statement on Tuesday. “Unfortunately, that was ripped away from me when Alec Baldwin discharged his gun and killed my daughter. Alec Baldwin continues to increase...

“Rust” is set to debut on Wednesday at the Camerimage Festival in Poland, three years after cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was accidentally shot and killed during production in New Mexico.

Hutchins’ mother, Olga Solovey, who is suing the production and actor Alec Baldwin, will not be there.

In a statement issued by her lawyer, Gloria Allred, on Tuesday, Solovey said she regards the premiere as an attempt to profit from her daughter’s death.

“It was always my hope to meet my daughter in Poland to watch her work come alive on screen,” said Solovey, who lives with her family in Ukraine. “Unfortunately, that was ripped away from me when Alec Baldwin discharged his gun and killed my daughter. Alec Baldwin continues to increase my pain with his refusal to apologize to me and his refusal to take responsibility for her death. Instead, he seeks to unjustly profit from his killing of my daughter.

Poland’s Camerimage Film Festival will host Wednesday what it has described as a tribute debut screening of Rust to honor the late Ukrainian cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

Hutchins’ mother Olga Solovey, however, will not be in attendance. In a statement sent to Deadline on Tuesday afternoon, Solovey said she would skip the screening and avoid promoting Rust due to Alec Baldwin’s “refusal” to take responsibility for Hutchins’ death on the set of the indie Western in October 2021.

“Alec Baldwin continues to increase my pain with his refusal to apologize to me and his refusal to take responsibility for her death,” Solovey’s statement read. “Instead, he seeks to unjustly profit from his killing of my daughter. That is the reason why I refuse to attend the festival for the promotion of “Rust,” especially now when there is still no justice for my daughter.”

A second statement signed by Solovey...

The mother of Halyna Hutchins, the “Rust” cinematographer killed by Alec Baldwin’s gun, will not attend the film-festival premiere in Poland later this month because there’s still “no justice” for her daughter three years later, she said in a statement Tuesday.

“It was always my hope to meet my daughter in Poland to watch her work

come alive on screen,” Olga Solovey said in a statement released by attorney Gloria Allred. “Unfortunately, that was ripped away from me when Alec

Baldwin discharged his gun and killed my daughter.”

Solovey placed the blame for her absence squarely on Baldwin, who walked free after a New Mexico judge dismissed the criminal manslaughter case over prosecution misconduct during the trial. Baldwin’s attorneys did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment on Tuesday.

“Alec Baldwin continues to increase my pain with his refusal to apologize to

me and his...

Three years after the tragic on-set death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, Alec Baldwin’s indie Western Rust will finally be revealed to the public on Wednesday. The movie has been selected to make its world premiere at Poland’s Camerimage International Film Festival, a respected specialty event focusing on achievements in cinematography. And the first screening in the town of Toruń would seem to be off to a strong start. Tickets to the premiere became available to festival attendees to claim via the event’s private ticketing system early Tuesday morning — and the website promptly crashed, because of an overwhelming surge in demand.

“The Camerimage portal is currently undergoing system maintenance,” a message on the site read shortly after 8am, when tickets became available. By about 8:35am, some festival visitors were reporting that the system was working for them again.

Camerimage is known for its devoted following, with keynote...

In the spring of 2023, about 18 months after a live bullet passed through cinematographer Halyna Hutchins’ chest and lodged in writer-director Joel Souza’s shoulder during the making of Rust, Souza was back on the set of the indie Western, waiting to call action. He and his crew were setting up a crane shot of two characters riding horses through the snow in a picturesque river valley in southern Montana, and Souza paused to make some remarks. “I remember saying that it would annoy Halyna that we were standing around not shooting, so let’s go shoot,” Souza says. “As soon as that first shot finished, I’m like, ‘Oh yeah, this is making movies. This is the part I know. This part makes sense.’ ”

Very little else had made sense since Oct. 21, 2021, the day the Colt revolver held by Alec Baldwin discharged the bullet that killed Hutchins, 42, launching a criminal investigation,...

The judge who dismissed the involuntary manslaughter charges against Alec Baldwin upheld her own decision in a ruling Thursday.

In July, New Mexico Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer dismissed the single felony count against the actor “with prejudice” after the defense discovered that prosecutors and investigators withheld ammunition evidence related to the accidental shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins in October 2021 on the set of the Western film Rust.

Following the dismissal, lead special prosecutor Kari Morrissey asked the judge to review her decision as well as examine whether the defense...

The cinematography community is not happy about the decision to premiere Rust at Polands Camerimage Film Festival, which focuses on achievements in cinematography. The reaction despite the event set to honor the late Halyna Hutchins, who was killed on set when a prop gun Alec Baldwin was handling was discharged. Per Deadline, debuting the film at all has left many of Hutchins' former cinematography peers in dismay and wondering if its the right thing for Camerimage to premiere the Western, which has been surrounded by controversy.

Oscar-nominated Black Panther director of photography Rachel Morris took to Instagram to express her thoughts, posting the following under the festivals official post that announced the event: Im all for memorializing Halyna and her beautiful work, but not by screening and thereby promoting the film that killed her. Morrisons comment has more than 330 likes and several replies agreeing with her.

Suzie Lavelle, who has...

In November Poland’s Camerimage Film Festival will host what it has described as a tribute debut screening of Rust to honor the late Ukrainian cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

Hutchins, a native of neighboring Ukraine, was a regular at the cinematography-focused event. The screening, however, has proved controversial with many of Hutchins’ former peers, who are questioning whether it is appropriate for Camerimage to serve as a launchpad for the controversial Alec Baldwin western.

“I’m all for memorializing Halyna and her beautiful work but not by screening and thereby promoting the film that killed her,” Oscar-nominated Black Panther DoP Rachel Morrison posted on Instagram under the festival’s official post announcing the screening.

Morrison’s comment was liked and supported by other prominent cinematographers in the comments section like Normal People and His Dark Materials DoP Suzie Lavelle who posted: “Promoting a film that shot with unsafe practices — leading to...

Last week, it was announced that the controversial Western Rust, the movie on which Alec Baldwin accidentally shot and killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, will premiere at the EnergaCamerimage International Cinematography Film Festival. The event is intended to memorialize Hutchins and showcase the work she did on her final project; Hutchins...