Poland’s Camerimage Film Festival will tomorrow host what it has described as a tribute debut screening of Rust to honor the late Ukrainian cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.
Hutchins’ mother Olga Solovey, however, will not be in attendance. In a statement sent to Deadline this afternoon, Solovey said she would skip the screening and avoid promoting Rust due to Alec Baldwin’s “refusal” to take responsibility for Hutchins’ death.
“Alec Baldwin continues to increase my pain with his refusal to apologize to me and his refusal to take responsibility for her death,” Solovey’s statement read. “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.”
We received a second statement signed by Solovey’s attorney Gloria Allred, which said Hutchins’ family had been “disrespected” by Baldwin whom Allred wrote “has never called them to apologize.”
“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 dishonors Halyna and her memory,” the statement read.
The statement concluded: “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. Olga, Anatolii, and Svetlana will not agree with this plan to exploit Halyna’s death.”
It is currently unclear whether other members of Hutchins’ family will attend the screening. We have reached out to the family’s attorney for further comment.
Camerimage announced plans to screen Rust in October. The planned screening quickly proved controversial with many of Hutchins’ former peers who publicly shared their concerns about whether they thought it was appropriate for Camerimage to serve as a launchpad for the flick.
Tomorrow’s screening had originally been advertised to conclude with a panel discussion featuring the film’s director Joel Souza, replacement cinematographer Bianca Cline, and Hutchins’ longtime mentor Stephen Lighthill. According to the festival’s official schedule, which was made available last week, there are now no plans for a Q&A. The film will only be introduced by Souza and Cline. The screening will also take place at 12:45 pm (Polish time) — the same time as an Alfonso Cuarón masterclass — at a smaller satellite venue instead of the festival’s main cinema hub.
Tickets for the screening were released this morning and sold out promptly. Despite some earlier reports, the festival’s ticketing hub didn’t crash because of the demand. Camerimage uses a similar ticketing system to Cannes where delegates are asked to purchase tickets 48 hours before a screening. The festival is well-attended and enjoys consistently packed screenings. If delegates are just a minute late to sign onto the ticketing site they are likely to be signed out and receive an error message. This competitive system has been a talking point around the festival for years.
Baldwin will not be in attendance tomorrow either. The actor was cleared of involuntary manslaughter in August after a court ruled that key evidence was mishandled. The film’s armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed is currently serving an 18-month prison sentence for involuntary manslaughter.
Hutchins was killed and Souza was injured on October 21, 2021, after the Colt .45 gun Baldwin was pointing at the cinematographer fired off a live round during a rehearsal at the Bonanza Creek Ranch near Santa Fe, New Mexico, where the indie Western was filming. Baldwin, who always insisted he did not pull the trigger and the gun discharged on its own, had faced up to 18 months in state prison if found guilty. The shooting and its fallout remain a hot-button topic among cinematographers and other below-the-line industry workers.
The film 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.
The debate surrounding Rust is just one talking point that has dominated this year’s Camerimage Film Festival. The unique event — which celebrates the art of cinematography — has also been at the center of a sexism row following a controversial op-ed written by the festival’s founder and head Marek Żydowicz.
In the much-criticized article titled Time for Solidarity, published in the craft magazine Cinematography World, Żydowicz outlined the path he believes the cinematography-focused festival can take as the wider film industry continues to change at speed. The greatest change, Żydowicz hypothesized, was the growing prominence of women cinematographers and directors. The thesis of Żydowicz’s article, however, was quickly denounced by industry professionals and unions who said it was sexist.
The parts that have drawn widespread criticism online are a portion where Żydowicz writes: “‘Can we sacrifice works and artists with outstanding artistic achievements solely to make room for mediocre productions?”
Another highlighted by filmmakers such as Reed Morano and Fabian Wagner read: “While EnergaCamerimage strives to acknowledge the contributions of women in cinematography, it also aims to maintain artistic integrity. Change? Yes, but let’s remain decent and honest. It’s about rapid evolution, not a fanatical revolution that destroys the cathedrals of art and throws out its sculptures and paintings.”
Blitz filmmaker Steve McQueen pulled out of an opening night appearance at the festival following the op-ed while Coralie Fargeat pulled her latest film The Substance from the fest. On the ground in Poland, festivalgoers have also been discussing the curious absence of the festival’s two main sponsors, ARRI and Fujifilm. The two companies have traditionally had a big presence at the event, holding well-attended parties across the city of Torun. We understand both pulled out of their deals earlier this year, well before the Rust screening and Żydowicz’s op-ed made headlines.
Camerimage runs until November 23.
Statement of Olga Solovey
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. 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.
Statement of Gloria Allred
Olga has decided not to attend the premiere of “Rust” in EnergaCAMERIMAGE Festival in Poland this month. Alec Baldwin has disrespected Halyna’s mother, father and sister. Even though Mr. Baldwin discharged the gun that killed Halyna, he has never called them to apologize. 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 dishonors 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. Olga, Anatolii and Svetlana will not agree with this plan to exploit Halyna’s death.
