Camerimage: ‘Rust’ Receives Subdued Debut, Filmmakers Hail “Courageous Act” Of Completing Movie 

A strange page in the book of contemporary cinema history was written this afternoon in Torun, Poland where the beleaguered Alec Baldwin western Rust screened publicly for the first time. 

The screening, which is one of the centerpiece events of this year’s Camerimage Film Festival, took place just over three years after the film’s cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed after a firearm was discharged by Baldwin during an on-set rehearsal. 

Joel Souza, the film’s director, and Bianca Cline, the replacement cinematographer, introduced today’s debut screening, alongside Camerimage chiefs Marek Żydowicz and Kazik Suwała. The event was was hosted at a satellite venue away from Camerimage’s main festival hub. 

Souza and Cline gave emotional introductions and said Rust gives a view of Halyna’s “vision of the world.” They were joined by Hutchins’ friend, filmmaker Rachel Mason, who described Rust as “a very misunderstood film,” and announced that she has completed a documentary about Hutchins’ life and the process of finishing the project after Hutchins’ death.

“Rust was going to change her life but instead took her life,” Mason said of the film during her introduction before adding that Souza and the other filmmakers had done a “courageous act” in completing the film.

“It’s a real honor and privilege and I’m astonished that I get to stand here and introduce the world to my amazing friends work.”

Before the screening started, Souza was seen sitting with Camerimage head Marek Żydowicz inside the screening room. It began with a minute silence for Hutchins. Although the screening was sold out, the room was fairly empty and the crowd inside was subdued.

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 (Baldwin) after he’s sentenced to hang for the accidental killing of a local rancher. It’s a very conventional film and the filmmakers call on every narrative and stylistic cliché associated with the western genre. As such there is a lot of gun wielding in the film which makes it impossible to divorce the images you’re seeing on screen from the circumstances of Hutchins’s death. This can make for uncomfortable viewing. The same goes for the unveiling of Baldwin’s character who arrives on screen with his own menacing score.

It’s these awkward story beats that probably inspired Camerimage head Żydowicz to urge viewers to watch the film only through the lens of “artistic quality” in his opening speech. Any wider release of the film will rely on the audience to do so and the question of whether that is possible will likely dominate discussion. The more interesting question particularly following last year’s strikes is probably whether we should. One might argue that the industry’s insistence on separating the labor required to produce a film from its consumption is one of the reasons a tragedy like Rust could happen in the first place.

Baldwin did not attend this afternoon’s screening and neither did Hutchins’ mother, Olga Solovey, who published a statement Tuesday outlining her opposition to the premiere. 

“Alec Baldwin continues to increase my pain with his refusal to apologize to me and his refusal to take responsibility for her death,” Solovey’s statement read. “Instead, he seeks to unjustly profit from his killing of my daughter. That is the reason why I refuse to attend the festival for the promotion of “Rust,” especially now when there is still no justice for my daughter.”

A second statement signed by Solovey’s attorney Gloria Allred said Hutchins’ family had been “disrespected” by Baldwin, whom Allred wrote “has never called them to apologize.”

“A decision has been made to promote “Rust” to buyers in order to make a profit for Alec Baldwin and others that had a role in Halyna’s death. Olga, Anatolii, and Svetlana will not agree with this plan to exploit Halyna’s death,” Allred’s statement read.

An impromtu post-screening Q&A featuring Souza and Cline was held after the screening. Rust won’t screen again at this year’s festival. The film’s credits lists the cast as: Alec Baldwin, Travis Fimmel, Frances Fisher, Josh Hopkins, Patrick Mcdermott. Credited producers are Matt Delpiano, Nathan Klingher, Anjul Nigam, Ryan Smith, and Ryan Winterstern. Cline and Hutchins share the cinematography credit while David Andalman is credited as the editor.

The film ends with the on screen message “… For Halyna.”

Camerimage runs until November 23.