“Galina’s death was a tragic accident”: filming of the film “Rust” with Alec Baldwin will be resumed

Almost a year after the tragic death of cameraman Galina Hutchins on the set of Rust, the producers of the project announced their intention to resume production of the film.

They came to this decision after negotiations with the family of the deceased.

On Wednesday, October 5, the husband of the deceased, Matthew Hutchins, entered into a settlement agreement with the production company Rust Movie Productions LLC and actor Alec Baldwin.

He stated that he was not interested in finding the guilty.

According to Hutchins, the cameraman's death was ruled a tragic accident.

In addition, the film team appreciated the work of the cinematographer and treated her with respect.

“I don’t want to throw accusations or place blame (on the producers of the film or on Alec Baldwin. -

).

We all believe that Galina's death was a tragic accident.

I am grateful that the producers and the film community have rallied to pay tribute to the latest creation of Galina, ”Deadline quotes the man.

Production on the film, which stopped in October 2021, will resume in January 2023.

The entire creative team, including the cast, will return to their duties.

Who will become the next operator of the tape has not yet been reported, but it is known that Matthew Hutchins will act as an executive producer in it.

The director of the film, Joel Souza, said that he would continue to work on the film only because the relatives of the operator would be involved in it.

He noted that everyone who worked with Hutchins remembered her as a talented, kind and positive person.

“Speaking of my personal attempts to recover from what happened, any decision to return to the director's chair to complete work on the film only made sense with the participation of Matt and Galina's family.

Let not without bitterness, but I am glad that together we will complete what (once. -

) we started with Galina, ”he said.

A lawyer for the film's production company said the parties had reached a decision that, subject to court approval, marks an important step in honoring the cinematographer and her work.

Baldwin himself on Instagram * thanked everyone who took part in resolving "this tragic and painful situation," and noted that in the course of the case, the interests of the minor son of Galina Hutchins were taken into account by all parties.

“During this difficult process, everyone especially wanted to do what would be best for Galina’s son,” he wrote.

Jason Bowles, a lawyer representing gunsmith Hannah Gutierrez-Reid, said his client was pleased with the outcome.

The lawyer hopes that the prosecutor's office will not bring criminal charges.

“Hopefully the D.A.’s office will also recognize that some justice has been achieved with respect to this tragic incident and decide not to file criminal charges,” he says.

However, the New Mexico State Attorney's Office, which is investigating the circumstances of Galina Hutchins' death, said that an amicable settlement between the parties would not affect the prosecutor's consideration of the charges.

“The proposed settlement, announced today in Galina Hutchins’ negligent death trial against the producers of Rust, including Alec Baldwin, will in no way affect District Attorney Mary Carmack-Oltweis’ ongoing investigation or her the final decision on whether to file criminal charges in this case or not," prosecutors spokeswoman Heather Brewer told Variety.

In the message, Brewer noted that everything depends on the facts that may indicate the involvement of the participants in the incident in the death of Hutchins. 

“While civil lawsuits are resolved privately and often with financial rewards, criminal cases deal exclusively with facts.

If facts and evidence warrant criminal charges under New Mexico law, they will be filed.

Everyone is equal before the law,” she concluded.

From this it can be concluded that the investigation considering the charges against four people, including Baldwin and gunsmith Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, will continue.

Galina Hutchins tragically passed away on October 21, 2021.

At the same time, director Joel Souza was injured.

While working on one of the scenes of the western Rust, Alec Baldwin fired a revolver and hit his colleagues.

Hutchins was taken to the hospital, but she could not be saved.

In November 2021, more than 200 cameramen signed a petition to ban functional firearms from film sets and called for safer alternatives.

Later that month, Rust's lighter Serge Svetnoy, a friend of the deceased, accused the film crew of failing to comply with safety regulations and negligence that led to the death of the cameraman, and filed a lawsuit.

He was later joined by screenwriting assistant Mamie Mitchell.

She stated that she was physically and emotionally injured, and also sued Alec Baldwin, gunsmith Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, assistant director Dave Halls, producers and other employees in charge of gun handling on set.

Alec Baldwin pleaded not guilty.

He stated that "the shot happened by accident."

The artist suggested that the revolver was loaded with blanks.

He noted that he was aiming the gun as instructed by Hutchins, who was lining up the frame for the shoot.

In addition, he stated that he did not even pull the trigger.

The Hutchins family, who had been waiting for the results of the examination all this time, went to court.

She filed a lawsuit against the production company and those involved in the case in February 2022.

In April, the New Mexico Bureau of Occupational Safety and Health released the results of an investigation that revealed that company representatives deliberately violated a number of safety requirements on set.

The document noted that the organization did not take the necessary measures to ensure safety at the site.

Among them are the due diligence of ammunition entering the pavilion, as well as the provision of training on the operation of firearms in the required volume.

As a result, the directorate of the film was fined more than $100,000.

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