‘Rust’ to Make World Premiere at Camerimage Film Festival (Without Alec Baldwin)

Three years after the tragic on-set death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, Alec Baldwin’s indie Western Rust will finally be revealed to the public. The movie has been selected to make its world premiere in late November at Poland’s Camerimage International Film Festival, a respected specialty event focussing on achievements in cinematography. The festival said Thursday that it plans to hold a panel discussion after Rust‘s first screening to honor Hutchins’ memory.

Speakers at the premiere will include Rust writer-director Joel Souza, who was struck by the same bullet that killed Hutchens when a prop gun handled by Baldwin was discharged during production in October 2021. Appearing alongside the director will be Stephen Lighthill, Huchins’ mentor from her student days at the American Film Institute, and Bianca Cline, the cinematographer who stepped in to finish the movie after a wrongful death lawsuit was settled. 

“The filmmakers will discuss events surrounding the film, offering insight into continuing production after Halyna’s death,” Camerimage organizers say. “Maintaining Hutchins’ artistic vision, as tremendously challenging as it was for the entire crew, was really important to the filmmakers, hoping to fulfill their duty to complete her work.”

According to an outside source with knowledge of the situation, Baldwin will not be present for the premiere, although he is both its star and lead producer, having once described the movie as a “passion project.” It’s currently unclear whether the film’s other leads — Travis Fimmel, Frances Fisher, Josh Hopkins and Patrick Scott McDermott — will attend.

“Halyna’s story will serve as a starting point for a conversation about the role of women in cinematography and their contributions to the art of filmmaking,” Cameraimage said in its statement, adding: “Another key topic of the discussion will be safety on set.”

The tragedy that unfolded on Rust‘s New Mexico set in 2021 was followed by years of intense media scrutiny, legal dispute and various bouts of public acrimony. Hutchins’ family settled the wrongful death lawsuit with the production in October 2022, which eventually allowed filming to continue. But criminal charges also followed: Rust’s film armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to 18 months in jail, while first assistant director Dave Halls took a plea deal for negligence with a deadly weapon. Baldwin was charged with involuntary manslaughter, but his case ended in an abrupt dismissal in July. Last week, Gutierrez-Reed lost a bid to have her conviction reconsidered. 

Screening Rust at Camerimage was known to be Hutchins’ dream for the project, according to the festival. During early stages of filming, she reportedly spoke to Souza about the event and convinced him that they should try to get their movie shown there. Cameraimage describes Hutchins as a “Ukrainian cinematographer who was part of the festival family.”

Rust tells the story of a 13-year-old boy (Patrick Scott McDermott) who is left to fend for himself and his younger brother following their parents’ deaths in 1880s Wyoming. The boy then goes on the run with his long-estranged grandfather (Baldwin) after the old man is sentenced to hang for the accidental killing of a local rancher.

The screening of Rust will add an emotionally charged moment to what is already shaping up to be a strong edition of the pioneering Polish film fest. This year’s 32nd will open with Steve McQueen’s WWII epic Blitz, while Cate Blanchett will chair the main competition jury and Shogun star Hiroyuki Sanada will receive a special television honor. Over the years, Camerimage has hosted and celebrated scores of prominent filmmakers — names like Alfonso Cuarón, Ang Lee, Ken Loach, David Lynch, Quentin Tarantino, Denis Villeneuve, Andrzej Wajda, Peter Weir and Wim Wenders, among many others.

Camerimage 2024 takes place Nov. 16-23 in the UNESCO World Heritage city of Toruń, Poland. The festival’s full lineup will be unveiled in early November.