three years after the drama, a world premiere without the director in Poland

He didn’t come. Rust, western with Alec Baldwin, the filming of which was mourned by the death of its director of photography, the Ukrainian Halyna Hutchins, had its world premiere on Wednesday November 20 during a film festival in Poland. During the filming of the film in New Mexico, in October 2021, American actor Alec Baldwin brandished a weapon supposed to contain only blank bullets but the projectile was very real. The shot fatally struck Halyna Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza.

Alec Baldwin himself « won’t come » at the festival, the organizers had previously told AFP, without giving the reason for his absence. For their part, those close to Halyna, her mother, her father and her sister, decided to boycott the premiere of the film, accusing the actor of never having apologized to them and of « refusing to take responsibility for death » of the young woman. « Instead, he seeks to unfairly profit from the murder of my daughter. This is why I refuse to attend the festival to promote Rust », wrote Olga Soloveï, Halyna’s mother, in a statement sent to AFP.

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« I considered not making any more films »

Joel Souza presented the film at the Camerimage film festival dedicated to images in cinema and directors of photography, in Torun in northern Poland. He previously spoke of a “deep emotional breakdown” after the tragic incident. « Rust has turned into a kind of raging hurricane (…) And all you have to do is pick up the pieces »he told AFP on Wednesday.

The decision to complete the film was the hardest one to make. « I really found myself on a tightrope (…) There was a moment when I considered no longer making films » at all, he said. What finally convinced him to complete the film was learning that Halyna Hutchins’ husband wanted audiences to be able to see it in theaters.

« The decision was not easy to make »admitted the director during an interview with Variety . “At first I said no, several times. But it became clear to me that this was what the family wanted, that it was going to benefit them. So that aspect was kind of an initial psychological hurdle that I overcame. Maybe if it’s important and they want me to do it, how could I say no? »he added. The first was preceded by a minute of silence.

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Three years after the fatal shooting on the set of Rust, the film will be shown at a festival in Europe

Between fiction and reality

The concept of Rust was born from research that Joel Souza had carried out on the youngest person hanged in the American West. Joel Souza and Baldwin developed the original idea into a screenplay telling the story of an outlaw who rides a horse to save his 13-year-old grandson convicted of an accident deemed murder. Following this tragedy, the production’s gunsmith, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, was sentenced in April to 18 months in prison for accidentally loading the actor’s pistol with a real bullet.

Alec Baldwin’s trial for manslaughter on the set of Rust was canceled due to a procedural flaw, while bullets related to the case in the possession of the investigators were not transmitted to the defense. Filming resumed last year in Montana. Halyna Hutchins, who grew up in Ukraine, was named one of the industry’s rising stars by American Cinematographer magazine.

« Mysogynes »

The tragedy sparked calls for a total ban on guns on film sets. New industry guidelines on the use of firearms now specify that only a gunsmith can issue a gun to an actor. In the case of Rustprosecutors said Alec Baldwin was given the gun by the film’s first assistant director, who later pleaded guilty to negligent use of a deadly weapon. According to Joel Souza, these changes « don’t go far enough. I think they should rule that no real weapons be used ».

Chaired by 2023 Oscar winner Cate Blanchett, the 2024 edition of Camerimage will close its doors on November 23. The festival began with intense controversy after French director Coralie Fargeat withdrew her film The SubstanceBest Screenplay Award at Cannes. She said she made this decision « after discovering extremely misogynistic and offensive remarks » by the festival’s founder, Marek Zydowicz.

In an article published this month in Cinematography World magazine, Marek Zydowicz called « crucial » the growing recognition of female cinematographers and directors. He also wondered whether this would not lead to « sacrificing works and artists of exceptional artistic achievement just to make room for mediocre film production? » These remarks, for which Marek Zydowicz later apologized, also led British director Steve McQueen to absent himself from the festival in protest.