Rust finally has a premiere date

Alec Baldwin’s ill-fated Western Rust is finally scheduled to premiere at the EnergaCamerimage International Cinematography Film Festival in Toruń, Poland. The event comes just about three years after the fatal on-set shooting of the film’s cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins, and only a few months after charges against Baldwin in connection with her death were dismissed with prejudice in New Mexico court. According to the festival, the screening is intended “to honour her memory and remind the world of her legacy.”

According to a synopsis from Camerimage, “Rust 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.”

After the Rust premiere, a panel is scheduled with director Joel Souza, who as also injured in the shooting; Bianca Cline, the cinematographer who finished the movie after they resumed filming; and Stephen Lighthill, described as “Halyna’s mentor from her beloved film school, AFI.” Per the festival, the panel discussion will cover the events surrounding the film, how the crew picked up and continued their work following Hutchins’ death, and how Cline worked to replicate Hutchins’ visual style. 

Apparently, Hutchins encouraged Souza to show Rust at Camerimage even in the “early stages” of the film. “We knew that our event was important to her, and that she felt at home among cinematographers from all over the world, who have been gathering at Camerimage for over 30 years,” Festival director Marek Zydowicz said in a statement. “During the festival, we honoured 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.”