Olga Solovey, the mother of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins (seen above in inset photo), who was fatally shot on the set of Alec Baldwin's western film Rust, boycotted the premiere at the Camerimage International Film Festival in Torun, Poland.
Alec Baldwin, who stars in the film and is one of the producers, was pointing a gun at the camera during a rehearsal in a wooden western church on the set when he claims it went off accidentally -- saying that he pulled the hammer but did not release the trigger. Hutchins was struck in the upper body and died shortly after, while director Joel Souza was shot in the shoulder and recovered.
Rust, which takes place in the 1880s, is about a 13-year-old boy who accidentally shoots a rancher, resulting in his death. The boy is then sentenced to be hanged, so his estranged grandfather, Harland Rust (Alec Baldwin), goes on the run with the boy.
The film was completed despite criticism from within the industry and the premiere, which took place Wednesday, November 20, 2024, was met with controversy as attendees of the festival urged others to boycott the film.
Solovey released a statement through a lawyer to state her opposition to the festival's decision to go ahead with the premiere of the film, which read, "It was always my hope to meet my daughter in Poland to watch her work come alive on screen. Unfortunately, that was ripped 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 her death."
Baldwin went to trial for manslaughter in July 2024, but due to the prosecution not providing evidence in advance of the trial to the defense that a "good samaritan" had turned over a box of live ammunition that was said to possibly be linked to Halyna Hutchins's death, the case was dismissed two days after the trial began. ~Alexandra Heilbron
Inset photo credit: Muhammad Hussein G. Smaisim