The unexpected death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchin during the filming of Rust in October 2021 caused shockwaves throughout the movie world.
On Oct. 21, 2021, Halyna, who was 42 years old, tragically lost her life when actor Alec Baldwin accidentally discharged a prop gun containing “a live round” on the set of the Western at Bonanza Creek Ranch in New Mexico.
Who was Halyna Hutchins?
Born in 1979 in Gorodets, Zhytomyr, Ukraine, Halyna Hutchins was raised in the frigid Arctic Circle on a Soviet military base.
Halyna completed her undergraduate studies in International Journalism at Taras Shevchenko National University in Kyiv, Ukraine.
She then pursued a Master of Fine Arts in Cinematography at the American Film Institute Conservatory in the United States in 2015. After that, she collaborated with British documentary companies in Europe as an inquisitive journalist.
Even though Halyna eventually reached Los Angeles, her family stayed in Ukraine. When the Russian invasion of Ukraine occurred in February 2022, Halyna’s husband Matthew posted on Twitter that her parents were stuck in Kyiv.
When Matthew’s lawyers were questioned, they verified that Halyna’s sister and 3-year-old niece had successfully reached the Romanian border and were attempting to leave the area.
Career
After completing her studies at the AFI Conservatory in Los Angeles in 2015, Halyna joined the first group of the Fox DP Lab program in 2018.
This program was a collaboration between 21st Century Fox and the American Film Institute and selected eight women, including Halyna, to participate as cinematographers. In 2019, Halyna was chosen as one of the rising stars by American Cinematographer.
Over the course of her professional life, Halyna has been involved in numerous projects such as Darlin’ (2019), Blindfire (2020), and The Mad Hatter (2021). Additionally, she contributed her skills as a cinematographer for the independent superhero movie Archenemy (2020), featuring actor Joe Manganiello.
At the age of 42, Hutchins served as the director of photography for Baldwin’s most recent film, Rust, a Western currently in production in New Mexico. The movie features Alec Baldwin, Travis Fimmel, and Jensen Ackles.
As reported by law enforcement to CNN, Hutchins was fatally shot at approximately 1:50 p.m. on Thursday in her local time. She was then transported to a hospital via helicopter but unfortunately succumbed to her injuries.
Following her passing in 2021, a spokesperson for the American Film Institute posted on Twitter,
“As is profoundly true in the art of cinematography, words alone cannot capture the loss of one so dear to the AFI community. At AFI, we pledge to see that Halyna Hutchins will live on in the spirit of all who strive to see their dreams realized in stories well told.”
Hollywood actor Alec Baldwin also shared a tweet to convey his condolences to Halyna Hutchins’ family.
“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. My heart is broken for her husband, their son, and all who knew and loved Halyna.”
Personal Life
In 2005, Halyna Hutchins and Matthew met for the first time in South Carolina, where he was attending college. At that time, Halyna was in the US on a student visa and they happened to run into each other after a class on a beautiful spring day.
Matthew inquired about her contact information, but Halyna revealed she did not possess a telephone. In response, he informed her of his place of employment. Halyna proceeded to pay Matthew a visit at his workplace and their romantic relationship blossomed from there. The couple tied the knot in January 2006.
Afterward, the pair had their first and only child, Andros, who was 9 years old when Halyna passed away. Matthew also shared that she would regularly call Andros from the Rust movie location every evening.
“They would get on a video and she would just do everything that you could as a mom to reassure him. Just give him kisses … I think it helped him to get to sleep every night knowing that she was thinking about him.”
A memorial scholarship fund was established in Halyna Hutchins’ honor by her alma mater on Oct. 22, 2021, to aid female cinematographers. AFI released a statement,
“We pledge to see that Halyna Hutchins will live on in the spirit of all who strive to see their dreams realized in stories well told.”
