Rust

• 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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• Rust is set to premiere at the Camerimage film festival in Poland.
• The film gained notoriety when an incident led to Hutchins’ death.
• Baldwin faced involuntary manslaughter charges.

The Western film Rust is set to premiere on Wednesday at the Camerimage film festival in Torun, Poland, nearly three years after the tragic on-set shooting that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

The film, starring Alec Baldwin, gained notoriety in 2021 when a rehearsal incident led to Hutchins’ death and injured director Joel Souza. Baldwin, accused of violating basic gun safety rules, faced involuntary manslaughter charges, which were dismissed earlier this year due to withheld evidence.

Hutchins’ mother, Olga Solovey, expressed her refusal to attend the event, stating, “Baldwin continues to increase my pain with his refusal to apologise to me and his refusal to take responsibility for her death.”

Director Joel Souza, who was wounded in the incident, will introduce the film. According to the festival, the screening honors Hutchins’ memory and her vision for Rust to be showcased at Camerimage. Bianca Cline, who completed the film as cinematographer, will also attend, though Baldwin will not.

The tragedy reignited debates about firearm safety on film sets, leading to revised industry guidelines. While Rust tells a fictional tale of accidental death in the Old West, its production became a somber reflection of real-life events, with filming concluding last year in Montana.

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