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Louise Thomas
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A “distasteful” decision to premiere Alec Baldwin’s new movie Rust at a Polish film festival has drawn criticism from industry professionals.
The movie has been under intense scrutiny after the accidental killing of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins during the film’s shooting.
Hutchins was 42 when she died, with an American trial court later convicting prop armourer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed of involuntary manslaughter. She was sentenced to 18 months in prison for loading the live round into the gun.
Baldwin was charged with involuntary manslaughter, but the case was dismissed in July after it was revealed that the prosecutors had withheld evidence that could have shed light on how live rounds got onto the movie set.
The film is set to have what has been described as its debut tribute screening at EnergaCamerimage, a film festival held in Ukrainian Hutchins’ neighbouring country of Poland.
“I’m all for memorialising Halyna and her beautiful work but not by screening and thereby promoting the film that killed her,” wrote Black Panther’s Oscar-nominated Director of Photography, Rachel Morrison under a post announcing the festival’s screening.
Her comment was liked by other prominent cinematographers including His Dark Materials and Normal People’s Suzie Lavelle who wrote, “Promoting a film that shot with unsafe practices — leading to the death of its cinematographer — reconsider please.”
A private WhatsApp group of working cinematographers who are also regular Camerimage Festival delegates, was seen by Deadline, who shared comments calling the decision “distasteful” and “tone deaf”.
But others were quick to point out that the family of Hutchins, who dropped their lawsuit against the actor, are apparently in support of the screening.
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“Apparently, her family wants this screening to happen. They say it was her dream to have a film screen at Camerimage,” one member wrote. “Her mentor, a former ASC president, is part of the panel. It seems to me that the important people are OK with this.”
The Independent has contacted representatives for Alec Baldwin and Cavalry Media for comment.
The festival will take place from November 16 to November 23 in Poland.
The screening will be followed by a “unique” panel discussion with director Joel Souza, who was also injured by the bullet that fatally struck Hutchins in October 2021.
He will be joined by cinematographer Bianca Cline, who stepped in to finish the project and Hutchins’ beloved AFI Film school mentor Stephen Lighthill.
