American Film Institute honors ‘Rust’ cinematographer Halyna Hutchins with scholarship fund for women filmmakers

• The American Film Institute has launched a memorial scholarship to honor Halyna Hutchins.

• Hutchins was killed Thursday on the set of the film “Rust” after Alec Baldwin fired a prop fun.

• The scholarship will aim to help women “build sustainable careers in the movie business,” a statement said.

The American Film Institute (AFI) has announced a new scholarship fund for women filmmakers to honor the cinematographer Halyna Hutchins who was killed Thursday on the set of the film “Rust” after the actor Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun.

The scholarship fund will aim to help women cinematographers “build sustainable careers in the movie business,” filmmaker Olia Oparina, who was also close friends with Hutchins, told Variety on Friday.

Details about how the scholarship fund or who can apply have not yet been made public, but AFI is currently accepting donations on its website.

In a statement announcing the scholarship, Oparina spoke extensively about Hutchins who was an alumnus of AFI’s prestigious graduate filmmaking conservatory.

“Throughout her career, she was an advocate for female DP’s and directors, familiar with the struggles women face in the entertainment industry,” the statement read.

“After overcoming many hurdles, Halyna began to get offers on big-budget films like “Archenemy” and “Blindfire,” features she was proud to lend her vision to. Her passing is a tragedy, not only for her family and friends but also for the world of film she so loved, which has been forever deprived of her great talent.”

Hutchins, 42, was killed Thursday by a prop gun fired by the actor Alec Baldwin on the set of the movie “Rust” at Bonanza Creek Ranch near Santa Fe, New Mexico. The film’s director, Joel Souza, 48, left the University of New Mexico Hospital Friday morning after also being injured in the incident. Deadline previously reported that Souza was hit in the shoulder. A report in The New York Times revealed that Hutchins was struck in the chest.

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Multiple reports have confirmed that the gun Alec Baldwin discharged on the film’s set held “live rounds.” According to an affidavit, Baldwin was handed the gun by an assistant director, who said “cold gun,” The New York Times and the Associated Press reported. The term refers to a gun that is not loaded with live rounds.

On Friday afternoon, Alec Baldwin spoke publicly for the first time following the shooting.

“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,” Baldwin tweeted.

“I’m fully cooperating with the police investigation to address how this tragedy occurred,” he added.

In a second tweet, Baldwin continued: “I am in touch with her husband, offering my support to him and his family. My heart is broken for her husband, their son, and all who knew and loved Halyna.”

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