The mother of Halyna Hutchins, the cinematographer who was fatally shot on the set of the film Rust by actor Alec Baldwin, has refused to attend the film’s world premiere on Wednesday, alleging the star has still not apologised to her over her daughter’s death.
Rust will premiere at the Camerimage festival in Poland, an event focusing on achievements in cinematography, three years after the prop gun Baldwin was holding went off and fatally injured Hutchins, the film’s cinematographer, on the set of the western in New Mexico. Tickets to the premiere sold out quickly on Tuesday.
It comes months after a New Mexico judge threw out the involuntary manslaughter case against Baldwin, finding that the state had improperly withheld evidence.
Baldwin, who stars in and produced the film, has long maintained he did not pull the trigger.
Hutchins’ mother, Olga Solovey, and her lawyer, Gloria Allred, both issued statements on Tuesday to announce Solovey would not be attending the premiere. Camerimage has said that the screening is solely intended to honour Hutchins, who had attended Camerimage and spoken privately of her wishes to have her work shown there.
Allred said Solovey would not attend because Baldwin had “disrespected” Hutchins’ family.
“Even though Mr Baldwin discharged the gun that killed Halyna, he has never called them to apologise,” she said. “Even worse, he argued, through his attorneys, that Halyna was emotionally distant from her family in Ukraine. That is false, hurtful and insulting.
“Further, the decision not to even call the family to say he is sorry is cruel and dishonours Halyna and her memory. Now, 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.”
Solovey filed a civil negligence lawsuit against Baldwin in June. On Tuesday, Allred confirmed to the Press Association that Baldwin has filed a motion to pause the civil lawsuit against him and others.
“We will be opposing their motion to stay our case,” she said.
In her own statement, Solovey said: “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.
Solovey alleged Baldwin has not apologised to her, saying: “Alec Baldwin continues to increase my pain with his refusal to apologise to me and his refusal to take responsibility for her death.
“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.”
Rust director Joel Souza, who was wounded in the shooting, is expected to introduce the premiere on Wednesday, along with Bianca Cline, the cinematographer who completed the film.
Camerimage festival director Kazimierz Suwala told the Hollywood Reporter earlier this week: “We didn’t invite Alec Baldwin, and we never considered doing so. That would be too distracting. What this is about is honouring Halyna’s dreams for her work.”
Melina Spadone, representative for Rust Movie Productions, told the Guardian: “Gloria Allred’s misrepresentation of both the Camerimage festival and any profit motivation is disappointing. The decision to complete Rust was made with the full support of Halyna’s family.
“The Camerimage festival celebrates the artistry of cinematographers; it is not a festival for buyers. None of the producers of Rust stand to benefit financially from the film. The suggestion that those involved in completing Halyna Hutchins’ film were motivated by profit is disrespectful to those who worked tirelessly to honour her legacy.”
The film’s armourer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, is serving an 18-month prison sentence after she was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter after the shooting of Hutchins in October 2021, at a ranch on the outskirts of Santa Fe.
Rust tells the story of a 13-year-old boy who, left to fend for himself and his younger brother after their parents’ deaths in 1880s Wyoming, goes on the run with his long-estranged grandfather after being sentenced to hang for the accidental killing of a local rancher.
Last month, the judge in Baldwin’s involuntary manslaughter trial declined an appeal by the prosecution to reconsider her decision to dismiss the case against the actor.
Press Association contributed to this report
