The death of Ukraine-born cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, 42, on the set of the film Rust in Albuquerque, New Mexico, is tragic beyond measure. A young family, including her husband Matthew and their son, have lost a loving mother; her professional community have lost an emerging talent of limitless potential (only 5 percent of the American Society of Cinematographers membership are female). Future generations of filmgoers are left with the stunning images from her 27 credits to date - a remarkable number, given she came to her craft after an early career as a broadcast journalist.
To honour Hutchin's artistry as a DOP, we present a gallery of frames from her features and short films and thoughts collated from the public social media posts of her friends and co-workers...
BLINDFIRE (Dir: Michael Nell; starring Brian Geraghty, Sharon Leal | 2020) A police officer responding to a violent hostage call kills the African American suspect, only to learn of his innocence. Sensing a set-up and facing repercussions, he must track down those responsible while examining his own accountability and the ingrained racism which brought him to this point.
"It is with a sad and heavy heart that I say goodbye to an incredibly talented and wonderful person...I was lucky enough to witness a rising star who was full of passion, creativity, generosity and a love for filmmaking. Her tragic death is a senseless loss and hard too fathom." - Howard Barish, President / Executive Producer of Kandoo Films, makers of Blindside.
ARCHENEMY (Dir: Adam Egypt Mortimer; starring Joe Manganiello, Amy Seimetz | 2020) Max Fist claims to be a hero from another dimension who fell through time and space to earth, where he has no powers. No one believes his stories except for a local teen named Hamster.
"I’m so sad about losing Halyna. And so infuriated that this could happen on a set. She was a brilliant talent who was absolutely committed to art and to film." - Adam Egypt Mortimer, Director: Archenemy.
TREACLE (Dir: Rosie Westhoff, starring April Kelley, Wilder Yari | 2020) Two friends, Belle and Jessie, go on a weekend away to help Jessie get over a recent breakup. Road tripping through California over the course of 24 hours, lines begin to blur when the always-heterosexual Jessie in her drunken, post breakup loneliness kisses bisexual Belle.
"Halyna was an absolute joy to collaborate with, bursting with unique ideas, and would go above and beyond in achieving them. She was an integral part of what still remains the best experience of my life. Thank you for the memories. The industry has lost the brightest of stars." - April Kelley, writer/star of Treacle
SNOWBOUND (Dir: Olia Oparina, starring Anya Bay | 2017) A group of erotic party attendees wake up naked in the snow. In the nearby cabin they find a dead girl and a message: In order to survive, they must decide who is responsible for the girl's death and murder that person accordingly.
"My best friend passed away. The pain is unbearable, and nothing can fill that space that is now empty without my loving, supportive, and understanding Halyna...Halyna’s shot every one of my films. When no one trusted us with a feature film, Halyna and I teamed up and made our own, for no money, with a crew of friends...My dear ribka, you will always be in my heart." - Olia Oparina, director of Divination (2016); Marcel Red What You Did (2016); I am Normal (2020); Snowbound (2017).
(re)UNITE (Dir: Anak Rabanal | 2018) Can a clinical method to accelerate emotional intimacy begin healing the social rifts exposed by the 2016 Presidential Election one conversation at a time?
"You will be missed and treasured and your legacy lives on not only in your work but in the people you inspired us to be with the way you lived your life — fearlessly and passionately." - Anak Rabanal, director of (re)UNITE.
The America Film Institute has established The Halyna Hutchins Memorial Scholarship Fund, issuing the statement, " 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."