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On Wednesday, a film festival in Poland will see the premiere of the Western film “Rust,” starring Alec Baldwin, whose filming location witnessed the tragedy of the murder of a Ukrainian film director. Halina Hutchins.
When the film was filmed in New Mexico in October 2021, Baldwin was operating a weapon that was supposed to contain caliber bullets, but live ammunition was fired from it, killing Hutchins and his ‘ injured director Joel Souza.
– Baldwin is absent –
Film festival organizers told Agence France-Presse that Alec Baldwin “will not be present” at the festival, without mentioning the reason for his absence.
Halina’s family, namely her mother, father, and sister, decided to boycott the premiere of the film, accusing the actor of not apologizing to them and “refusing to take responsibility for Helena’s death.
“Instead of apologizing and taking responsibility for what he did, he is trying to profit unfairly from my daughter’s murder. That is why I refused to attend the festival to promote the film Rast,” wrote Olga Solovey, the victim’s mother, in a statement obtained by Agence France-Presse.
Joel Souza will accompany the screening of the film at the Camerimage Festival held in Torun, northern Poland, dedicated to cinematography and directors of photography.
“Almost three years after the tragic accident of Halina Hutchins, the Camerimage Festival intends to commemorate her murder and remind the world of her legacy,” the organizers said before the premiere of the film.
They said that the goal was to “realize the dream of Halina, who convinced Sousa from the early stages of the production of Rast … that the work needed to be present” at this festival.
– Between fantasy and reality –
The idea for “Rust” arose from Souza’s research into the youngest person to be hanged in the American West.
Souza and Baldwin developed the original idea into a screenplay about a defendant who rides a horse to save his 13-year-old grandson, who was convicted of an accident that was treated as murder.
After the film’s tragedy, the film’s weapons supervisor, Hannah Gutierrez Reed, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for accidentally loading a gun with live ammunition.
Baldwin’s trial on murder charges was postponed due to procedural flaws, as the Public Treasury did not hand over the bullets related to the file to the defense team.
Filming of the movie resumed in Montana last year.
– ‘Rising Star’ –
Hailing from Ukraine, Halina Hutchins grew up on a Soviet military base in the Arctic Circle, “surrounded by reindeer and nuclear submarines,” her website says.
After studying and working as a journalist in Ukraine and across Europe, she joined the prestigious American Film Institute (AFI) in Los Angeles in 2015. She quickly rose through the ranks of Hollywood cinematographers.
In 2019, American Cinematographer magazine selected her as one of the industry’s rising stars.
While the tragedy of her murder led to calls for a total ban on the use of firearms on film sets, Hollywood preferred to choose less strict measures.
Last winter, the guidelines for the use of weapons on film sets were changed for the first time in twenty years.
One of the most obvious changes is that the weapons supervisor is the only one qualified to issue weapons to a representative. In the case of “Rust,” prosecutors said Baldwin received the gun from the film’s first assistant director, who later pleaded guilty to negligence.
– ‘Offensive comments’ –
The Camérimage Festival, chaired by 2023 Academy Award winner Cate Blanchett, will end on November 23.
The festival began with great controversy after the French director Coralie Varga withdrew her film “The Substance”, which won an award at the Cannes Film Festival for the best screenplay.
She said she made this decision “after offensive and rude statements made by festival founder Marek Židovic.”
In an article published this month in Cinematography World magazine, Zedovich believed that greater recognition of female photographers and filmmakers is “a very important issue.” But he wondered, “Will this lead to the sacrifice of works and artists with outstanding artistic achievements to make room for a small cinematic production?”
This statement, for which Zedovich apologized again, made British director Steve McQueen decide to suspend himself from the festival, as a measure of rejection.
How might the legacy of Halyna Hutchins influence future initiatives aimed at increasing gender diversity in cinematography and other technical roles within the film industry?
1. Can you discuss the unfortunate accident that occurred on the set of “Rust,” and the changes that have been implemented in the film industry since then to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future?
2. How does the tragic death of Halyna Hutchins, a female cinematographer, impact the representation of women in the film industry?
3. What are your thoughts on the controversy surrounding the Camérimage Festival and the statements made by its founder, Marek Židovic, about the importance of recognizing female photographers and filmmakers while questioning the sacrifice of artistic merit?
4. As a journalist, how do you feel about the role of the media in covering stories like these and maintaining ethical standards within the film industry?
5. What can be done to promote safer working conditions and foster a more inclusive environment for all members of film production teams?
