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In November Poland’s Camerimage Film Festival will host what it has described as a tribute debut screening of Rust to honor the late Ukrainian cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
Hutchins, a native of neighboring Ukraine, was a regular at the cinematography-focused event. The screening, however, has proved controversial with many of Hutchins’ former peers, who are questioning whether it is appropriate for Camerimage to serve as a launchpad for the controversial Alec Baldwin western.
“I’m all for memorializing Halyna and her beautiful work but not by screening and thereby promoting the film that killed her,” Oscar-nominated Black Panther DoP Rachel Morrison posted on Instagram under the festival’s official post announcing the screening.
Morrison’s comment was liked and supported by other prominent cinematographers in the comments section like Normal People and His Dark Materials DoP Suzie Lavelle who posted: “Promoting a film that shot with unsafe practices — leading to the death of its cinematographer — reconsider please.”
Similar sentiments have been the predominant response within the DoP community, which is tight-knit and largely isolated from the rest of the film world. Most working DoPs know each other well and share tips on jobs on informal web forums and at rare events like Camerimage.
In a popular WhatsApp group chat seen by Deadline and used by hundreds of regular Camerimage Festival delegates, all of whom are working DoPs and some who say they knew Hutchins personally, the screening has been described as “distasteful” and “tone deaf.”
“I wonder why they decided to show this film instead of showing her earlier films if this is about honoring her work,” one person wrote.
Another added: “The year she tragically died they showed her AFI thesis and had ASC members come up and say a few words. It was touching… to showcase Rust at a film festival, especially one geared towards DPs? All I will see is the giant image of the man who pulled the trigger and took her life and the gross negligence that led to that moment. I really hope they reconsider this decision.”
Others, however, have cautioned against push back noting that Hutchins’ former mentor and ASC president Stephen Lighthill will take part in a panel session at the festival following the screening of Rust.
“Apparently, her family wants this screening to happen. They say it was her dream to have a film screen at Camerimage,” one member posted. “Her mentor, a former ASC president, is part of the panel. It seems to me that the important people are OK with this.”
Lighthill will appear on the panel with the film’s director Joel Souza and Bianca Cline who took on cinematography duties after Hutchins’ death. Festival organizers have said the group will discuss events surrounding the film and safety on film sets. We have reached out to Camerimage and the production team behind Rust for comment on the criticism reported above. Following our first report on the premiere, Melina Spadone, attorney for Rust Movie Productions, sent us this statement: “Rust Movie Productions is honored that our film will make its world premiere at the EnergaCAMERIMAGE Festival this November, a perfect stage to honor Halyna Hutchins. Her remarkable talent and vision are embedded in every frame of the film, and we’re grateful for the opportunity to showcase her work and let audiences experience the beauty and creativity she captured through her lens.”
It’s currently unclear if Alec Baldwin will attend the debut screening. The actor was cleared of involuntary manslaughter in August after a court ruled that key evidence was mishandled. The film’s armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed is currently serving an 18-month prison sentence for involuntary manslaughter.
Hutchins was killed and Souza was injured on October 21, 2021 after the Colt .45 gun Baldwin was pointing at the cinematographer fired off a live round during a rehearsal at the Bonanza Creek Ranch near Santa Fe, New Mexico, where the indie Western was filming. Baldwin, who always insisted he did not pull the trigger and the gun discharged on its own, had faced up to 18 months in state prison if found guilty. The shooting and it’s fallout remain a hot button topic among cinematographers and other below-the-line industry workers.
The film tells the story of a 13-year-old boy who, left to fend for himself and his younger brother following their parents’ deaths in 1880s Wyoming, goes on the run with his long-estranged grandfather after he’s sentenced to hang for the accidental killing of a local rancher.
Camerimage runs from November 16-23.
