Rust director Joel Souza urged potential viewers of the movie to "give it a chance" as film premiered at Poland's Camerimage Festival Wednesday , three years after cinematographer Halyna Hutchins' fatal on-set shooting . Souza, 51, emphasized the film showcases Hutchins' artistic vision before her death at age 42 in October 2021. "If people don't want to watch this movie, for any reason, they certainly don't need to and there's no hard feelings from me," Souza told The Hollywood Reporter .
Alec Baldwin's reaction as he's told Halyna Hutchins as died after shooting Alec Baldwin scores major win before Rust manslaughter trial kicks off "But what I hope is that people give it a chance — and if they do, that they look closely at the visual aspects, particularly the cinematography." The shooting occurred during a rehearsal in New Mexico when a prop gun held by star Alec Baldwin discharged, killing Hutchins and wounding Souza. Baldwin maintains he never pulled the trigger and was unaware of live ammunition in the weapon.
While criminal charges against Baldwin were dropped in July, Rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed received an 18-month prison sentence in September after being convicted of involuntary manslaughter. "A large part of our business only got to know Halyna's name because of what happened to her — and I think that's a shame," Souza stated. "So if you watch the film, you'll get to look through her eyes and get to understand a little more about the artist she was.
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