Halyna Hutchins: this was the cinematographer who was accidentally killed by Alec Baldwin

The director of photography Halyna Hutchins died during the filming of the movie “Rust”Upon being shot by a prop pistol wielded by the actor Alec Baldwin. The shots also wounded the director of the film, Joel Souza, who is currently being treated in the intensive care unit of the Christus St. Vincent medical center, in the state of New Mexico (USA).

The news has gone around the world since a life has been lost in a situation that has not happened for a long time and that recalls the case of the death of Brandon Lee, a victim of a bullet while filming “The Crow” in 1994.

Several US media outlets reported that Halyna Hutchins, 42, was taken to the University of New Mexico Hospital but was eventually pronounced dead.

“According to investigators, it appears that the scene that was filmed involved the use of a backup firearm when it was fired,” said a statement from authorities. “Detectives are investigating how and what type of projectile was discharged.”

Some photographs published by the local newspaper Santa Fe New Mexican they show Baldwin distraught at the door of the Santa Fe Sheriff’s office, where according to that outlet he was questioned about the event.

The incident occurred around two o’clock in the afternoon at the Bonanza Creek Ranch, where several scenes from the ‘western’ “Rust” were filmed, in which Baldwin is the producer as well as the protagonist. The Sheriff’s office has opened an investigation to clarify what happened and what type of projectile the weapon had, which is not known if it was used during the recording of a scene or in a rehearsal. For the moment, the authorities rule out filing criminal charges.

Who was Halyna Hutchins?

As can be read on the website of Halyna Hutchins, she was born in Ukraine and grew up on a Soviet military base in the Arctic Circle surrounded by reindeer and nuclear submarines. Older, he obtained a BA in International Journalism from the Kiev National University and later worked as an investigative journalist with British documentary productions in Europe.

Years later, Hutchins he settled in Los Angeles to graduate from the American Film Institute in that city. From there, she was selected as director of photography for the 21st Century Fox DP Lab in 2018 and later took part in films such as “Darlin”, a horror feature film screened by Hutchins and directed by Pollyanna McIntosh (The Walking Dead), which premiered at the 2019 SXSW film festival with limited theatrical capacity in the US.

In 2020, Hutchins formed thriller part “Archenemy”, directed by Adam Egypt Mortimer; “Blindfire”, a racially charged police drama written and directed by Mike Nell and starring Brian Geraghty (The Hurt Locker) and Sharon Leal (Supergirl, Instinct).

A restless dreamer

As a restless dreamer, addicted to adrenaline, she described Hutchins in your account Instagram. His last post, published a couple of days ago, shows him riding a horse in the middle of the filming of “Rust”.

“One of the advantages of filming a western is that you can ride a horse on your day off :),” he wrote.

“In love with the movies”

Filmmaker and journalist Jim Hemphill described Hutchins in 2019 as part of an article about cinematographers on the rise. The director defined her as a “lover of movies.”

Film directors mourn Hutchins’ death

Adam Egypt Mortimer spoke recently on the loss of Hutchins. The director wrote on his Twitter account: “I am very saddened by the loss of Halyna. And so infuriated that this could happen on a set. He was a brilliant talent who was absolutely committed to art and cinema ”.

The AFI Conservatory, a film school that is part of the American Film Institute (AFI), tweeted this Friday: “As is deeply true in the art of cinematography, words alone cannot capture the loss of someone so loved by the AFI community. At AFI, we are committed to Halyna Hutchins stay alive in the spirit of all who strive to see their dreams come true in well-told stories. “

The words of Alec Baldwin

Alec Baldwin He assured this Friday that he “cannot find words” to express his sadness for the accident in which he died Halyna Hutchins.

“There are no words to express my sadness and shock at the tragic accident that took the life of Halyna Hutchins, a woman, mother and partner deeply admired by all of us. I am cooperating with the investigation to find out how this tragedy occurred, “said the actor on his Twitter account.

Regarding the case, the authorities are trying to determine why the blank pistol was loaded and with what type of projectile, when it was used during the filming of “Rust”, a “western” that was filmed in Santa Fe, in the state of New Mexico (USA). The film crew employed 22 actors, 75 technicians and more than 230 extras, although it is unknown how many of them were present at the time of the event.

FOLLOW JUMP INTRO ON INSTAGRAM

YOU MAY BE INTERESTED

Alec Baldwin testifies for the first time after accidentally killing a woman during filming

Actor Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun that killed a woman on the set of the movie “Rust”

Alec Baldwin: reveal first images of actor after accidentally killing director of photography

USA: A woman dies in a shooting while filming a western with Alec Baldwin