In Memory of Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins

In Memoriam

by Florian MilzOctober 22^nd, 2021

Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was tragically shot on set during the filming of the movie “Rust” on 21st October 2021. She died at the age of 42.

Ms. Hutchins was accidentally shot with a gun that was supposed to fire non-lethal bullets by actor Alec Baldwin. The accident took place during production at Bonanza-Creek-Ranch in New Mexico. She was airlifted to a nearby hospital with a helicopter but died of her injuries. The movie’s director Joel Souza was also injured in the accident and was taken to the hospital in an ambulance.

Halyna, originally born in Ukraine, graduated from AFI (American Film Institute) with MFA in Cinematography after moving to Los Angeles. She was named one of the “Rising Stars of Cinematography” by American Cinematographer Magazine in 2019.

In 2020, she worked on the independent superhero movie “Archenemy”, which marked her sixth feature film. The movie premiered at Beyond Fest 2020 and was in official competition at the Sitges International Film Festival, receiving a nomination for Best Motion Picture. Halyna’s recent work also includes the racially charged police drama Blindfire, winner of Best Crime Drama at the Houston International Film Festival, 2020.

She was chosen to be one of the few female cinematographers for the 21st Century Fox DP Lab in 2018.

Friends publicly remember her as “brilliant” and “an incredible talent & great person” while they mourn her death on social media.

It is very unfortunate to see another deadly accident on set, despite initiatives like the “Safety for Sarah” movement, a campaign for increasing awareness of unsafe practices on movie sets.

Halyna’s death leaves behind her 8-year-old child and husband. We send our condolences to Halyna’s family and friends. May she rest in peace.