Alec Baldwin‘s brother Billy has voiced his support for the upcoming premiere of the controversial film, Rust.
The film will debut at the International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography Camerimage in Poland in November, some three years after the fatal shooting that took the life of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
Billy, 61, shared his support for the movie Thursday night at the premiere for his project Americans With No Address in Los Angeles.
‘I think it’s great, because my understanding is, it was the wishes of the family that they could go because they wanted the public to see her last work,’ the actor told TMZ.
‘They wanted to honor her by having her work finished and having her work seen,’ he said.
Billy Baldwin, 61, defended the decision for brother Alec’s film Rust to debut at an international film festival in Poland next month. ‘My understanding is, it was the wishes of the family… they wanted the public to see her last work,’ the actor told TMZ (Pictured October 3 in Los Angeles)
Production on the Western was paused in October 2021 when a prop gun being held by Baldwin, 66, discharged, killing Hutchins, who was just 42.
Director Joel Souza was also injured in the incident and the film ultimately wrapped filming in May 2023.
According to Deadline, Ukrainian-born Halyna is said to have campaigned early in production to screen the film at Camerimage, which honors international cinematographers.
Billy Baldwin will not be able to attend the Rust premiere.
He will be in Siena, Italy promoting a ‘cool indie arthouse film’ co-starring Judd Nelson and Michael Madsen
It is currently unclear whether Alec, 66, will attend.
His trial for involuntary manslaughter was thrown out in August after a judge ruled evidence had been mishandled.
He has asked the court to deny the prosecution’s request to reconsider the dismissal.
Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, 42, was killed when a gun with live ammunition was fired on the set (Pictured in Park City in January 2018)
Alec Baldwin, 66, was charged with involuntary manslaughter, but his case was thrown out in August when the judge ruled evidence had been mishandled. It is unclear if he will attend the premiere in Poland next month
Armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, 27, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to 18 months in prison for her mishandling of the gun (Pictured in Santa Fe, NM in March)
The actor’s attorneys argue prosecutors have not come up with any new evidence in the case.
Armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, 27, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to 18 months in prison for her mishandling of the gun, which was not supposed be loaded with live ammunition.
Earlier this month, a judge upheld an involuntary manslaughter conviction against Gutierrez-Reed in the fatal shooting of Hutchins.
Gutierrez-Reed asked a New Mexico court to dismiss her conviction or convene a new trial, alleging that prosecutors failed to share evidence that could have cleared her over the shooting on the set of Rust.
Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer, however, explained in her written order that Gutierrez-Reed’s attorneys did not establish that there was a reasonable possibility that the outcome of the trial would have been different had the evidence been available to her.
The judge also rejected a request from Gutierrez-Reed that she be released from custody, saying it was moot because the request for a new trial was denied.
Gutierrez-Reed has an appeal of the conviction pending in a higher court. Jurors acquitted her of allegations she tampered with evidence in the ‘Rust’ investigation.
Prosecutors blamed Gutierrez-Reed for unwittingly bringing live ammunition onto the set of ‘Rust’ and for failing to follow basic gun safety protocols.
