- Halyna Hutchins’ mother announced her boycott of the Rust premiere.
- The Western is debuting three years after Hutchins was shot on set.
- A revolver held by Baldwin discharged on a set killing her.
The mother of late cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, Olga Solovey, has announced her boycott of the world premiere of Rust at the Camerimage Film Festival in Torun, Poland, calling it an attempt by Alec Baldwin to “unjustly profit” from her daughter’s death. The Western is debuting three years after Hutchins was fatally shot on set during a rehearsal.
Hutchins, a rising Ukrainian cinematographer and mother, was killed in October 2021 when a revolver held by Baldwin discharged on a set in New Mexico, also injuring director Joel Souza. Baldwin has stated he pulled back the hammer but did not pull the trigger.
“It was always my hope to meet my daughter in Poland to watch her work come alive on screen,” said Solovey in a statement shared by her lawyer. “Unfortunately, that was ripped away from me when Alec Baldwin discharged his gun and killed my daughter.” She added, “Alec Baldwin continues to increase my pain with his refusal to apologise to me and his refusal to take responsibility for her death. Instead, he seeks to unjustly profit from his killing of my daughter.”
The festival has been dedicated to Hutchins, but Solovey remains resolute: “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.”
While Baldwin’s manslaughter charge was dismissed earlier this year, Solovey is pursuing a civil lawsuit. Meanwhile, the film’s armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, was sentenced to 18 months in jail for involuntary manslaughter due to negligence, including allowing live ammunition on set.
The Camerimage festival itself has faced controversy, with filmmaker Steve McQueen withdrawing in protest over a sexist editorial by festival founder Marek Żydowicz, who has since apologized.
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