TORUN, Poland (AP) 鈥� Alec Baldwin鈥檚 Western 鈥淩ust鈥� had its world premiere Wednesday at a film festival in Poland with a dedication to cinematographer , who was fatally shot in an accident on the set three years ago.
Organizers called for a minute of silence before showing the film, which opened to a full house at the International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography Camerimage in the city of Torun, and received applause at the end.
Baldwin, the lead actor and co-producer, was during a rehearsal outside Santa Fe, New Mexico, in October 2021 when the revolver went off, killing Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza. Baldwin has said he pulled back the hammer 鈥� but not the trigger 鈥� and the revolver fired.
Souza introduced the film at the festival, a popular industry event dedicated to cinematography. He told the audience that initially after the accident he could not have imagined continuing with the production, or even working on a movie set or writing again.
鈥淚t just hurt too much,鈥� he said.
But Hutchins' husband, Matthew, wanted the film to be finished, and came on as an executive producer.
鈥淚t was important to him that the people who knew and loved Halyna get to see her final work," Souza said. The mission became 鈥渢o preserve every single frame that I could of hers, and to honor her final work.鈥�
鈥淩ust鈥� 鈥� which includes scene after scene of shootouts 鈥� is the story of a 13-year-old boy who is sentenced to be hanged after he fatally shoots a rancher by accident. He goes on the run with his estranged grandfather, played by Baldwin.
Bianca Cline, the cinematographer who finished the project, said Hutchins established the look and feel of the film, and filmed more than half of it. She studied Hutchins' notes to honor her vision.
Hutchins, 42, was a Ukrainian cinematographer on the rise and a mother of a young son. She grew up on a remote Soviet military base and worked on documentary films in Eastern Europe before studying film in Los Angeles and embarking on a .
Ahead of the premiere, Hutchins鈥� mother, who is suing Baldwin and the production, said she was refusing to attend and that she viewed the film as an attempt by Baldwin to 鈥渦njustly profit鈥� from her daughter鈥檚 death. Baldwin was also not present.
鈥淚t was always my hope to meet my daughter in Poland to watch her work come alive on screen," said Hutchins鈥� mother, Olga Solovey, in a statement issued by her lawyer, Gloria Allred. 鈥淎lec Baldwin continues to increase my pain with his refusal to apologize to me and his refusal to take responsibility for her death."
Melina Spadone, a representative for Rust Movie Productions, issued a statement saying: 鈥淕loria Allred鈥檚 misrepresentation of both the Camerimage festival and any profit motivation is disappointing. The decision to complete 鈥楻ust鈥� was made with the full support of Halyna鈥檚 family."
"The Camerimage festival celebrates the artistry of cinematographers; it is not a festival for buyers. None of the producers of Rust stand to benefit financially from the film. The suggestion that those involved in completing Halyna Hutchins鈥� film were motivated by profit is disrespectful to those who worked tirelessly to honor her legacy.鈥�
Filmmaker Rachel Mason, a friend of Hutchins who was tapped by Matthew Hutchins to make a documentary about his late wife, told the audience that Solovey told her that she wanted the film to be completed because of how important the project was to her daughter.
Mason also described all those who continued to work on the film after the tragedy on set as 鈥渉eroic.鈥�
鈥淵ou could just feel and see the trauma that they had gone through,鈥� she said.
鈥淗alyna didn鈥檛 get the chance to do the biggest films that she was expected to do, that we all knew she would. 鈥楻ust鈥� was that film. 鈥楻ust鈥� was going to change her life but instead it took her life. And the people that feel the pain of that most are the people that made the film,鈥� Mason said. 鈥淚 really hope the world can understand that it was a courageous act to complete this film.鈥�
A New Mexico judge against Baldwin in the fatal shooting. The case was thrown out halfway through trial on allegations that police and prosecutors withheld evidence from the defense.
The film armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, for involuntary manslaughter. that her recklessness amounted to a serious violent offense. Prosecutors blamed Gutierrez-Reed for unwittingly bringing live ammunition onto the set of 鈥淩ust,鈥� where it was expressly prohibited, and for failing to follow basic gun-safety protocols.
This year's Camerimage festival, where Cate Blanchett is serving as jury president, has already been beset by controversy.
director Steve McQueen dropped out of the festival to protest an editorial about female cinematographers written by festival founder Marek 呕ydowicz in which he argued that greater representation of female cinematographers could lead to mediocrity.
Director Coralie Fargeat pulled her film 鈥淭he Substance鈥� due to the comments, which led to protests by several cinematography groups. 呕ydowicz has since apologized.
Vanessa Gera, The Associated Press
