'Rust' movie will get world premiere 3 years after cinematographer's on-set death

The film Rust is set to premiere in Poland three years after the tragic on-set fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

In October 2021, Alec Baldwin, the lead actor and a producer on the film, pointed what was supposed to be an unloaded prop gun while rehearsing a scene on the movie set outside Santa Fe. The gun discharged, killing Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza.

The Western film will now see its world premiere in late November at Poland’s Camerimage International Film Festival, in a screening meant to honor Hutchins’ memory, organizers said.

The festival will hold a panel discussion with Souza, cinematographer Bianca Cline, and Stephen Lighthill, Hutchins’ mentor at the film school AFI.

“We knew that our event was important to her, and that she felt at home among cinematographers from all over the world, who have been gathering at Camerimage for over 30 years,” festival director Marek Zydowicz said in a statement. “During the [2021] festival, we honoured Halyna’s memory with a moment of silence and a panel of cinematographers discussed safety on set. Now, once again, together with cinematographers and film enthusiasts, we will have this special opportunity to remember her.”

During the festival’s panel, Cline, who took over Hutchins’ work on the film, is slated to discuss how she tried to replicate Hutchins’ unique style. The movie resumed and wrapped filming in Montana last year.

The movie will not include the scene in which the shooting took place, Souza told Vanity Fair in August. “Not just that, but also a few things leading up to it,” Souza noted. “I’m not going back to that.”

Hutchins, a 42-year-old Ukraine-born cinematographer whose credits include two 2020 films, Archenemy and Blindfire, was seen as a rising star in her field.

Festival organizers said Hutchins’ story will “serve as a starting point for a conversation about the role of women in cinematography and their contributions to the art of filmmaking.” Another panel topic will be safety on set.

In the aftermath of the shooting, legal proceedings have sought to answer questions over who was responsible for loading the gun with live ammunition.

Movie armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed is currently serving an 18-month sentence for involuntary manslaughter after prosecutors argued that she was negligent and reckless during the production.

An involuntary manslaughter case against Baldwin was thrown out in July over withheld evidence.

Hutchins’ widower, Matthew Hutchins, reached a settlement with Baldwin and other Rust producers. As part of the settlement, Hutchins was named an executive producer on the film.