During the festival, Hutchins’ memory will be honored in a special event featuring a discussion with director Joel Souza and Bianka Cline, who completed the film's cinematography after Hutchins' passing.
Halyna Hutchins, a Ukrainian-born cinematographer and a graduate of the American Film Institute Conservatory, worked on several films, including Archenemy and Darlin'.
She tragically lost her life on October 21, 2021, during the filming of Rust when actor Alec Baldwin accidentally discharged a prop gun, fatally wounding her.
Baldwin, charged with involuntary manslaughter, has denied pulling the trigger, and his case was dismissed in July 2023.
However, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the film's armorer, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for her role in the incident, though her legal team plans to appeal.
Souza, who was injured in the same incident, completed Rust over a year after Hutchins' death.
Initially reluctant to finish the project, he later decided to proceed in honor of Hutchins and her husband Matt Hutchins, who became a producer of the film.
Souza expressed his belief that Hutchins would have wanted her final work to be seen.
"If I had died instead of her, which is what should have happened, she would have done the same, pushing for my last film to be released," Souza told Vanity Fair.
The world premiere will be accompanied by a panel featuring Souza, Cline and Stephen Lighthill, Hutchins' mentor from the American Film Institute.
The discussion will focus on the challenges of continuing Hutchins' work in the film and honoring her artistic vision.
The festival organizers emphasized the emotional weight carried by the film’s team, who felt it was their duty to finish what Hutchins had started.
Rust is set in 1880s Wyoming and follows a 13-year-old boy who, after losing his parents, must care for his younger brother. The plot unfolds as he escapes with his estranged grandfather after being sentenced to hang for accidentally killing a local rancher.
The 32nd Camerimage International Festival of Cinematography will take place in Toruń from November 16 to 23.
(jh/gs)
Source: PAP