TORUN, Poland — The mother of the late cinematographer Halyna Hutchins has decided to boycott the world premiere of “Rust” at a film festival in Poland, expressing that she believes it serves as an attempt by Alec Baldwin to “unjustly profit” from her daughter’s tragic death.

This Western film is set to premiere at the International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography Camerimage in Torun, three years after Hutchins was fatally shot on set.

Alec Baldwin, who stars in and co-produces “Rust,” was involved in a rehearsal incident outside Santa Fe, New Mexico, in October 2021, where he was handling a gun that discharged, leading to Hutchins’ death and injuring director Joel Souza. Baldwin has maintained that he only pulled back the hammer, not the trigger, of the weapon, which nevertheless fired.

Souza was anticipated to introduce the film during the festival, an important event dedicated to the craft of cinematography, and the premiere would be dedicated to Hutchins’ memory.

Olga Solovey, Hutchins’ mother, shared her sentiments through a statement relayed by her lawyer, expressing her initial hope to one day see her daughter’s work celebrated on screen in Poland. “Unfortunately, that was ripped away from me when Alec Baldwin discharged his gun and killed my daughter,” she stated. “Alec Baldwin continues to increase my pain with his refusal to apologise to me and his refusal to take responsibility for her death. Instead, he seeks to unjustly profit from the killing of my daughter.”

“This is why I refuse to attend the festival for the promotion of ‘Rust,’ especially now when there is still no justice for my daughter,” she concluded.

Hutchins, who was 42 at the time of her death, was an upwardly mobile Ukrainian cinematographer and the mother of a young son. Her journey began on a secluded Soviet military base, leading her to work on documentary films in Eastern Europe before she pursued film studies in Los Angeles, where she began to build a promising career.

Although a New Mexico judge dismissed an involuntary manslaughter charge against Baldwin following the incident, he still faces several civil lawsuits, including one filed by Solovey. Meanwhile, the film’s armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, received an 18-month prison sentence for involuntary manslaughter. A New Mexico judge had determined this year that her negligence constituted a serious violent offense, as prosecutors criticized her for inadvertently bringing live ammunition onto the set against explicit policy and for failing to adhere to basic safety protocols with firearms.

This year’s CameraImage festival has not been without its own controversies. Director Steve McQueen withdrew his film “Blitz” from the event in response to comments made by festival founder Marek ?ydowicz regarding female cinematographers, which McQueen perceived as sexist. ?ydowicz has since issued an apology.