6 Million

In a surprising turn of events, the ill-fated film production Rust has been denied a portion of New Mexico's film and TV tax incentives. Despite being filmed at the Bonanza Creek Ranch near Santa Fe, the application for the incentives was rejected, according to documents obtained by the Associated Press (AP).

The New Mexico Film Office had initially issued a memo in January approving Rust's eligibility to apply for the tax incentives. However, it remains unclear why the application was ultimately denied. According to the AP, the incentives could have been worth up to $1.6 million for the production.

Tragically, the incident that occurred on October 21, 2021, during the rehearsal at the Bonanza Creek Ranch, led to the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, and the injury of Rust director Joel Souza. A live round was mistakenly fired from a pistol actor Alec Baldwin was handling, resulting in the fatal shooting. Baldwin, who has maintained that he did not pull the trigger, is scheduled to stand trial next week for involuntary manslaughter in relation to the incident. It is important to note that Baldwin is also a producer on the independent film.

Meanwhile, Rust continues to face challenges as it remains without a U.S. distributor. With the denial of the tax incentive, further financial hurdles have arisen. Rust Movie Productions' attorney, Melina Spadone, stated that the tax credit was intended to assist in financing a legal settlement between the film's producers and Halyna Hutchins' widower, Matthew Hutchins, as well as their son. Matthew Hutchins is listed as an Executive Producer on the film.

"The denial of the tax credit has disrupted those financial arrangements," Spadone explained to the AP, emphasizing the impact of this decision.

The circumstances surrounding Rust have raised concerns and sparked discussions about on-set safety and accountability within the film industry. The denial of the tax incentives adds another layer of complexity to an already tragic and challenging situation.