Family of Slain ‘Rust’ Cinematographer Praise the ‘Stunning’ Film
Halyna Hutchins’ mother and sister are encouraging audiences to see the film in the DP’s memory.
Neilson Barnard/Getty Images
The family of Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, who was killed in an on-set shooting in 2021, are urging audiences to see the “stunning” film in Hutchins’ memory.
Hutchins’ mother, Olga Solovey, and her sister, Svetlana Zemko, are encouraging audiences to see the film and “remember her for as long as they can.“
Solovey said of the film, “I watched my daughter’s stunning film twice. I was so happy for the success of my daughter because it was filmed so beautifully.”
She continued, “I would want everybody to watch it because it was the dream of my daughter and she would want people to see it. I would want people to see the talent, the beauty, the success, and I’m just so immensely proud of her. She had a very specific style of cinematography and she saw the world differently. She could see and capture how the sun sets and how animals behaved. She saw the beauty of it all. She could capture it. She could capture nature. I like the film. I want many people to watch it, and I would want more people to remember her for as long as they can.”
Zemko added, “The film is amazing, very beautiful and colorful, the shots are just amazing, the composition, the light, even the weather in the frame transfers through the screen. The film is brilliant. Everyone should see Gala’s work; this is high professionalism and high-level artistry. The film is strong. I would want Gala to be remembered not for the tragedy but for her talent and hard work.”
The film has finally been released three and a half years after the fatal on-set shooting involving the film’s star, Alec Baldwin, that claimed Hutchins’ life. Baldwin’s manslaughter charges were dismissed with prejudice in July 2024, and in December, prosecutors withdrew their appeal, bringing the case to a close.
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Rust premiered at the Camerimage Film Festival in Poland last year, with Solovey opting to skip the premiere at the time, telling Deadline, “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.”
The film was released in theaters and on streaming services on Friday, making an estimated $25,000 at 115 theaters on its opening day.
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