Yahoo Finance Halyna Hutchins’ Agency Praises ‘Rust’ DP: “Her Talent Was Immense”
Innovative Artists, which represents Rust director of photography Halyna Hutchins, issued a statement Friday in the wake of Hutchins’ death on the set of the Alec Baldwin Western at Bonanza Creek Ranch outside of Santa Fe, NM.
“Halyna Hutchins was a ray of light. Always smiling, always hopeful. She decided early on she would take the craft of cinematography by storm and the last couple of years proved she was well on her way,” the agency said.
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“Her talent was immense, only surpassed by the love she had for her family. All those in her orbit knew what was coming; a star director of photography, who would be a force to be reckoned with.
“All of us at Innovative Artists are heartbroken. We mourn for her family and we hope this tragedy will reveal new lessons for how to better ensure safety for every crew member on set.”
Originally from the Ukraine, Hutchins was a 2015 American Film Institute graduate. Her work included several shorts and lensing Archenemy, the 2020 crime actioner starring Joe Manganiello. She was named “rising star” by American Cinematographer in 2019.
A bio on her website reads that she grew up on a Soviet military base in the Arctic Circle surrounded by reindeer and nuclear submarines. She held a graduate degree in International Journalism from Kyiv National University in Ukraine and previously worked as an investigative journalist with British documentary productions in Europe. Other feature work included the Mike Nell directed Blindfire starring Brian Geraghty and Sharon Leal. Also, Darlin’, a horror feature she shot, directed by Pollyanna McIntosh, that premiered at the SXSW in 2019 with limited theatrical release in the U.S.
After the incident on the Rust production Thursday, Hutchins was flown to the University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque, where she died, according to the Santa Fe Sheriff’s department.
Earlier this morning, Alec Baldwin, who discharged the prop gun that killed Hutchins, said, “There are no words to convey my shock and sadness regarding the tragic accident that took the life of Halyna Hutchins, a wife, mother and deeply admired colleague of ours.”
“I am fully cooperating with the police investigation to address how this tragedy occurred and I am in touch with her husband, offering my support to him and his family. My heart is broken for her husband, their son, and all who knew and loved Halyna.”
Archenemy director Adam Egypt Mortimer on Twitter said “I’m so sad about losing Halyna. And so infuriated that this could happen on a set. She was a brilliant talent who was absolutely committed to art and to film.” He referred to an older tweet from November 2020, where the filmmaker said, “Halyna Hutchins, ARCHENEMY’s DP, has a brilliant mind for light and texture. Her tastes and sensibility of what is cinematic were a huge asset for executing our style — the grimy but beautiful feeling I referred to as ROMANTIC BRUTALSM.”
Manganiello tweeted the following last night about Hutchins:
I’m in shock. I was so lucky to have had Halyna Hutchins as my DP on Archenemy. An incredible talent & great person. I can’t believe this could happen in this day and age… gunfire from a prop gun could kill a crew member? What a horrible tragedy. My heart goes out to her family pic.twitter.com/W479ch56Js
— JOE MANGANIELLO (@JoeManganiello) October 22, 2021
IATSE Says Alec Baldwin ‘Rust’ Prop Gun Had Live Round; Cops Say “Hasn’t Been Determined”
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