Never 'too late': Filmmaker-musician Dennis Hauck brings 2015 film, sneak peek of Halyna Hutchins project to Jean Cocteau Cinema on Nov. 12

Nov. 4—Dennis Hauck is a creative.

Whether it's in music or in film, Hauck's interest is piqued when a good project comes along.

With the film industry at a standstill due to the SAG-AFTRA strike, Hauck decided to foray back into music for a bit.

"I was in a punk rock band in high school and we put out a couple self-released records," Hauck says. "I hadn't done anything with music in a while."

That is, until his friend and colleague Halyna Hutchins died.

On Oct. 21, 2021, during production on the set of the film "Rust" in Santa Fe, the Ukrainian cinematographer was accidentally shot and killed by a bullet from a prop gun discharged by actor Alec Baldwin.

The accident left Hauck feeling many things.

"After Halyna died, I was thinking of her a lot," Hauck says. "We were working on a film right before she got hired for 'Rust.' The project spans from Ireland to the Western United States. There was going to be a good part of the movie shot in New Mexico. One of the last things she said to me is that she was going to take off for a couple months. We were already scouting the ranch where she was killed. 'Rust' fell into her lap and she was excited to be getting bigger movies."

Hauck is hitting the road screening his 2015 film, "Too Late," starring John Hawkes at independent theaters.

As a preshow bonus, Hauck will present an exclusive sneak peek from "Al's Brand" — Hauck's in-progress new film featuring 65mm photography by Hutchins. He will be in Santa Fe at 6 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 12, at the Jean Cocteau Cinema.

In between the screenings, Hauck will perform his original music.

"After Halyna died, I was thinking of folk ballads and thought I should write a song about her," he says. "That kind of got me back into the music world. As soon as the writer's strike and the actor's strike began, I started to write more music."

While the concept was coming together, Hauck began to research independent movie theaters that were capable of screening the 35mm-made "Too Late."

"Santa Fe was one of the first I reached out to," he says. "The film took years to make and it's a handful of long takes. I think I worked on 'Too Late' for seven years getting it just right. The Jean Cocteau Cinema was able to screen the film in its original format, which I am very excited about."

Hauck is also excited to give a sneak peek of "Al's Brand," which he continues to edit.

He says the four-minute teaser showcases a snippet of Hutchins' talent.

"I do want to see audiences' reactions," he says of the film. "It makes me sad because Halyna was just getting going. I was lucky for her to come on board to one of my movies. We didn't have a lot of money and it was just me and her making the film. We went to Ireland in the early days of the pandemic and we had to quarantine together for six weeks. She was excited to be filming in 65mm because most directors of photography don't get to shoot on film. She lived and breathed filmmaking. When we were in Ireland, she would tell me of all her ideas with the project we were working on."

Santa Fe is one of 10 cities on Hauck's tour.

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