'Rust' Gets Premiere Date At Poland's Camerimage Film Festival

"Rust" cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed on October 21, 2021, when a gun held by actor Alec Baldwin went off, striking and killing her and wounding director Joel Souza.

It took a jury less than three hours for a jury to find armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed guilty of involuntary manslaughter. A judge sentenced her to the maximum time allowed by the state: 18 months behind bars.

Alec Baldwin's case was dismissed by a judge in July after a witness confessed that the prosecution had not turned over all of the evidence to the case. With the criminal matter seemingly settled, it looks like producers feel confident enough to finally give the film a release date.

Three years after the tragic death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, "Rust" will finally be shown during Poland's Camerimage International Film Festival in late November. Organizers say that a panel discussion will be held after the controversial film's first screening in order to honor the late cinematographer's memory.

“The filmmakers will discuss events surrounding the film, offering insight into continuing production after Halyna’s death,” Camerimage organizers said in a statement. “Maintaining Hutchins’ artistic vision, as tremendously challenging as it was for the entire crew, was really important to the filmmakers, hoping to fulfill their duty to complete her work.”

One insider told The Hollywood Reporter that the film's star and producer Alec Baldwin will not be in attendance for the premiere. It is unclear if any of the film's other stars, including Travis Fimmel, Frances Fisher, Josh Hopkins, and Patrick Scott McDermott, will be in attendance.

In another statement, Camerimage organizers said, “Halyna’s story will serve as a starting point for a conversation about the role of women in cinematography and their contributions to the art of filmmaking,” adding: “Another key topic of the discussion will be safety on set.”

Poland's Camerimage International Film Festival takes place from November 16 through November 23 at the UNESCO World Heritage city of Toruń, Poland. The film festival's full lineup will be released in early November.

On April 15, Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer sentenced Hannah Gutierrez-Reed to the maximum penalty of 18 months behind bars. Her harsh sentence immediately prompted concern for the film's star, Alec Baldwin.

Emily D. Baker, a lawyer and former L.A. Deputy District Attorney, told Peoplemagazine that the judge's harsh sentencing should be a "wake-up call" for Baldwin, noting that "the court is taking these cases very seriously."

“I imagine Baldwin and his legal team are going to have serious discussions about what it means if he is convicted," Baker continued, noting that Baldwin is also facing 18 months behind bars if convicted. Both cases are being overseen by the same judge.

Baker felt that Hannah Gutierrez-Reed's stiff penalty was surprising, due to the fact that she was a first-time offender and had no prior convictions.  "And not only did she get 18 months, but she got 18 months as a serious and violent felony, which means she will have to serve 85% of that time,” Baker explained.

Although a plea deal was offered to Alec Baldwin in October 2023, it was later rescinded after prosecutors alleged that Alec Baldwin was “actively pressuring material witnesses in the case against him to submit to interviews for his documentary,” according to a court filing released on April 5. Under the terms of that plea deal, the "Supercell" actor would have been given six months of unsupervised probation for misdemeanor handling of a firearm, a fine of $500, 24 hours of community service, and ordered to take a gun safety class.

However, Baker thinks that Baldwin's legal team should have reached out to special prosecutors Kari T. Morrissey and Jason J. Lewis to see if they could have gotten another plea deal back on the table to prevent another "Rust" case from going to court. “I think if you're the defense attorney, you have to ask the prosecution [for a plea deal] unless your client says, ‘Don't even bother.’ There's always room to ask,” Baker said. However, she admits that the prosecution may be unlikely to offer another plea deal, adding, "There's no love lost between the prosecution and the defense."

In one court filing, Morrissey said that Baldwin displayed an "impressive level of arrogance" and seemed eager to take the Emmy winner to court. “That doesn't indicate to me that the prosecution will be willing to budge,” Baker added.

Even though a jury found Hannah Gutierrez-Reed guilty of involuntary manslaughter, others thought it be difficult to convince a jury that an actor could be held criminally responsible for the fatal shooting. According to a previous statement released by SAG-AFTRA, it is the job of the armorer, not the actor, to make sure that the gun is a "cold gun" - meaning one that does not contain live ammunition.

“His case is different,” Baker said, pointing out the differences in the two "Rust" trials. “The jury came back saying that Hannah not only was completely negligent, reckless in doing her job, but that she brought the live rounds onto set. So there is definitely a different case there than Baldwin.”

“But if the prosecution can show that Baldwin pulled the trigger, I don't know how much sympathy a jury is going to have for him, because many in the [movie] industry say that even if you are seemingly pointing a weapon at someone, it's always cheated,” Baker continued. “You're never pointing a gun at a person, and you are always treating a weapon as if it's loaded.”