In this image from video released by the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office, Alec Baldwin stands in costume and speaks with investigators following a fatal shooting on a movie set in Santa Fe, N.M. Special prosecutors said Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023, that they will seek to recharge actor Baldwin with involuntary manslaughter in a 2021 fatal shooting on a movie set in New Mexico.
Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office via AP
Three years after the fatal shooting on the set of “Rust,” the film is set to make its world premiere at the Camerimage Festival in Poland next month.
During the production of the western film in October 2021, star Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Court documents later revealed Baldwin was handed a loaded weapon by an assistant director who told Baldwin the prop was safe to use.
Since the shooting, the film and Baldwin have been ensnared in legal proceedings.
Prosecutors attempted to charge Baldwin with involuntary manslaughter two separate times. Prosecutors dropped the first set of charges in April 2023 after they received new information. The second set was dismissed in July as the judge found prosecutors improperly kept evidence from defense lawyers.
The armorer on the set, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, was responsible for all firearms and blank ammunition used during production. She was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in March and is currently serving an 18-month prison sentence. Gutierrez-Reed’s defense lawyer filed a motion to dismiss the charge after the Baldwin mistrial, but the judge denied the request on Monday.
The Camerimage festival in Toruń, Poland, is centered around the art of cinematography. A panel will follow the screening of “Rust” to discuss the fatal shooting, Hutchins’ vision, safety on set and how the production continued after her death, according to an announcement from organizers.
The panel will include director Joel Souza, who was injured in the shooting.
“We knew that our event was important to [Hutchins], and that she felt at home among cinematographers from all over the world, who have been gathering at Camerimage for over 30 years,” said Marek Zydowicz, Festival Director for Camerimage, in a release. “During the festival, we honored Halyna’s memory with a moment of silence and a panel of cinematographers discussed safety on set. Now, once again, together with cinematographers and film enthusiasts, we will have this special opportunity to remember her.”
The 2024 festival takes place November 16-23.