Western Rust is to world premiere at Poland’s Camerimage Film Festival, almost three years after the death on set of its Ukrainian cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
Camerimage, which celebrates cinematography and takes place November 16-23, said its world premiere would “honour her memory and remind the world of her legacy.”
The screening will followed by a panel discussion with the film’s director Joel Souza, cinematographer Bianca Cline, and Stephen Lighthill, Hutchins’ mentor from her film school, AFI.
The filmmakers will discuss events surrounding the film, offering insight into continuing production after Halyna’s death. They will also discuss the visual style that Hutchins developed on set and explain how Bianca Cline, who took over her work, managed to replicate Hutchins’ style.
The panel will also discuss will be the role of women in cinematography and their contributions to the art of filmmaking. Another key topic of the discussion will be safety on set.
Hutchins died on October 21, 2021, hours after a prop gun in star Alec Baldwin’s hands went off and hit her during a rehearsal on Bonanza Creek Ranch near Santa Fe.
An involuntary manslaughter case against Baldwin was dismissed in July. Rust armourer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed was sentenced in April to 18 months in prison for involuntary manslaughter.
The festival said Hutchins, during the early stages of Rust’s production, convinced director Joel Souza that their work should be shown at Camerimage.
Festival director Marek Zydowicz said: “We knew that our event was important to her, and that she felt at home among cinematographers from all over the world, who have been gathering at Camerimage for over 30 years. During the festival, we honoured Halyna’s memory with a moment of silence and a panel of cinematographers discussed safety on set. Now, once again, together with cinematographers and film enthusiasts, we will have this special opportunity to remember her.”
Rust 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.
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