Alec Baldwin’s western “Rust” had its world premiere Wednesday at a film festival in Poland, but the actor was not in attendance because he was not invited.
Baldwin’s presence would have been too “distracting,” said Kazimierz Suwała, director of the Energa Camerimage international film festival in the town of Touron.
“We did not invite Alec Baldwin and we never considered doing so,” Suwała told The Hollywood Reporter. “It would be too distracting. It’s about honoring Halyna’s dreams for her work.
Suwała is referring to Halyna Hutchins, the Ukrainian-born cinematographer of “Rust.” Hutchins, a promising industry talent, was killed in October 2021, after Baldwin pointed a gun at her during a rehearsal on the set of the film outside Santa Fe, New Mexico.
The gun went off, killing Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza. Baldwin said he pulled back the hammer – but not the trigger – and the gun fired. Although the veteran film and television star called Hutchins’ death a tragic accident, he was charged with manslaughter. However, the case was ultimately dismissed on the grounds that the prosecution had failed to produce evidence.
It’s unclear whether Baldwin would have gone to the festival if he had been invited, said TMZ, which reported that he was spotted Monday in New York, pushing a stroller.
Although Baldwin did not travel to Poland to walk the red carpet or promote “Rust” at the screening, organizers observed a moment of silence for Hutchins, the Associated Press reported. The festival is a popular industry event dedicated to cinema.
Souza, a Palo Alto-based filmmaker, then introduced the film. Souza told the audience that he couldn’t initially imagine trying to finish the film after Hutchins’ death. “It hurts too much,” he said.
But Hutchins’ husband, Matthew, wanted the film finished and came on board as executive producer. Baldwin also wanted to finish the film and returned to finish the production, which had moved to Montana.
But like Baldwin, Matthew Hutchins didn’t attend the premiere. Additionally, Hutchins’ other family members also boycotted the event.
“I always hoped to meet my daughter in Poland to see her work come to life on screen,” Olga Solovey, Hutchins’ mother, who lives in Ukraine, said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital. “Unfortunately, that was taken away from me when Alec Baldwin discharged his gun and killed my daughter.”
“Alec Baldwin continues to increase my pain with his refusal to apologize to me and his refusal to take responsibility for his death,” Solovey’s statement continued. “Instead, he seeks to unfairly profit from the murder of my daughter. This is the reason why I refuse to attend the festival to promote “Rust”, especially now that there is still no justice for my daughter.”
It’s debatable whether anyone involved in making “Rust” will get much out of it. It could be released in the United States, but it is unclear when and if it will be shown in theaters or directly via streaming.
NBC News reported that the audience response at the premiere was “polite.” “Rust” follows the story of a 13-year-old boy who is sentenced to hang after accidentally shooting a rancher. He goes on the run with his ex-grandfather, played by Baldwin.
The audience applauded during the film’s closing credits, deepening their applause when a dedication to Hutchins appeared, NBC News reported.
But a good number of moviegoers left the theater before the credits rolled and before a question-and-answer session with Souza and with cinematographer Bianca Cline, who finished the film on Hutchins’ behalf.
New York-based film industry expert Rob Rosenberg said “Rust” could have “butts in seats” due to audience curiosity.
“It will be interesting to see if there is a group of people who choose to stay away from the film completely because of Halyna Hutchin’s death,” Rosenberg, founder of Telluride Legal Strategies, said in a statement by email. “People may also choose to see the film because they might be curious about how they finished the film after the tragic shooting.”
For their part, the organizers of the Energa Camerimage festival defended the idea of giving the film its world premiere.
“Yes, I know it’s divisive,” Suwala told The Hollywood Reporter. “Some people thought we were doing it for promotional reasons and that it was inappropriate to show a film that resulted in a death. But for us, the motivation was very simple. Halyna had a strong connection with this festival. She came there several times. And we were contacted by her friends, who told us that even before the filming of “Rust”, she had told them that this film was very important to her and that she dreamed of screening it at Camerimage.”
One of those friends, cinematographer Rachel Mason, gave a moving speech at the premiere in defense of the film.
“I feel strongly that I need to make a statement about a very misunderstood film and the people who made it, who I believe are heroic people,” said Mason, who worked on a documentary about the making of the film. film after Hutchins’ death.
Mason said everyone involved wanted to help Hutchins’ family by finishing the film. “When they heard that this movie ‘Rust’ could help Halyna’s family, one thing they thought about was the fact that she has a son, and that son will no longer have a mother,” Mason said. . “And if they could do something for this little boy, then why wouldn’t they be there?”
