"Rust" Cinematographer's Mom Says Alec Baldwin 'Continues to Increase My Pain with His Refusal to Apologize'

11/19/2024 05:25 PM

Hutchins' mother Olga Solovey does not plan to attend the movie's Nov. 20 world premiere in Poland

• An attorney for Halyna Hutchins' mother Olga Solovey, her father Anatolli and sister Svetlana said Olga has decided not to attend Rust's world premiere at Poland's Camerimage Festival on Nov. 20.
• The attorney alleged that Alec Baldwin "has never called" Hutchins' family in Ukraine to speak with them about Hutchins' accidental on-set death on the New Mexico set of Rust on Oct. 21, 2021 and described the movie's festival screening as a "plan to exploit Halyna's death."
• Rust cinematographer Bianca Cline, who finished shooting the movie in Hutchins' place, told PEOPLE in October that Olga and Svetlana were "very excited" for the movie to release.
  

Halyna Hutchins' mother is speaking out against Alec Baldwin and the movie Rust amid its world premiere in Poland.

On Tuesday, Nov. 19, Hutchins' mother Olga Solovey released a statement through her attorney Gloria Allred noting that Solovey will not attend Rust's premiere at the Camerimage Festival, which honors the work of cinematographers and directors of photography, in Poland on Nov. 20.

"It was always my hope to meet my daughter in Poland to watch her work come alive on screen," Solovey said in her statement. "Unfortunately, that was ripped away from me when Alec Baldwin discharged his gun and killed my daughter. Alec Baldwin continues to increase my pain with his refusal to apologize to me and his refusal to take responsibility for her death. Instead, he seeks to unjustly profit from his killing of my daughter. That is the reason why I refuse to attend the festival for the promotion of Rust, especially now when there is still no justice for my daughter."

Baldwin, 66, saw his criminal involuntary manslaughter charges in the investigation into Hutchins' October 2021 on-set death dismissed with prejudice by Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer three days into his July trial after Baldwin's defense team argued that prosecutors buried relevant evidence that came to light mid-trial. The actor has maintained a claim that he did not pull the trigger or know why the gun accidentally contained live ammunition since the incident occurred.

Related: Cinematographer Who Replaced Halyna Hutchins on Rust Thought 'I Might Never Work Again' After Finishing Movie

In Allred's statement, the attorney wrote that Baldwin's "decision not to even call the family to say he is sorry is cruel and dishonors Halyna and her memory."

"Now, a decision has been made to promote Rust to buyers in order to make a profit for Alec Baldwin and others that had a role in Halyna's death," Allred added, noting that Olga, her father Anatolii and her sister Svetlana "will not agree with this plan to exploit Halyna's death."

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Olga, Anatolli and Sveltana's allegation that Baldwin has never reached out to Hutchins' family dates back to at least February 2023, when they filed a civil suit against him, alleging battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence and loss of consortium. Baldwin and the film's producers separately settled a lawsuit with Hutchins' widower Matthew, who has since become an executive producer on Rust, back in October 2022. 

"I have no interest in engaging in recriminations or attribution of blame (to the producers or Mr. Baldwin)," Matthew wrote in a statement issued at that time. "All of us believe Halyna's death was a terrible accident. I am grateful that the producers and the entertainment community have come together to pay tribute to Halyna's final work."

Related: Rust Armorer Convicted of Involuntary Manslaughter Denied New Trial by Same Judge Who Dismissed Alec Baldwin Case

Rust completed filming in May 2023. Though New Mexico special prosecutor Kari T. Morrissey has filed motions for Judge Sommer to reconsider her decision to dismiss the involuntary manslaughter case against Baldwin, Sommer rebuked those arguments and has declined to reconsider Morrissey's case multiple times in recent months.

Camerimage announced that Rust would make its world premiere at the festival on Oct. 3. At that time, cinematographer Bianca Cline, who finished shooting the movie in Hutchins' place, told PEOPLE in a statement that Hutchins' mother and sister were "very excited" for the movie to release.

"Halyna's mother was probably the biggest champion of the film," Cline said at that time. "She wanted it to be done because she knew how much it meant to Halyna. She told me how excited Halyna was to see the film."

Rust does not yet have a U.S. release date.