Chronicling the extraordinary rise of one of the most colorful and controversial religious movements in American history, Hail Satan? is an inspiring and entertaining new feature documentary from acclaimed director Penny Lane (Nuts!, Our Nixon). When media-savvy members of the Satanic Temple organize a series of public actions designed to advocate for religious freedom and challenge corrupt authority, they prove that with little more than a clever idea, a mischievous sense of humor, and a few rebellious friends, you can speak truth to power in some truly profound ways. As charming and funny as it is thought-provoking, Hail Satan? offers a timely look at a group of often misunderstood outsiders whose unwavering commitment to social and political justice has empowered thousands of people around the world.

Maysles Documentary Center spotlights the first four feature documentaries of filmmaker Penny Lane, who over the last decade has distinguished herself as a vital voice in contemporary nonfiction film & video. Defined by an eclectic use of formal techniques and a burning intellectual curiosity, Lane’s body of work reveals a consistent preoccupation with the nature of truth, communicated with a wry sense of humor — an epistemological cheek. In 2016, she launched “Notes on NUTS!”, an exhaustive online compendium of annotations to her third feature. By ranking the film’s various claims and implications on a “truth scale”, Lane acknowledged and deconstructed the obfuscations of fact made by documentarians in pursuit of a good story. Her latest film, HAIL SATAN?, incorporates her first use of direct footage to profile The Satanic Temple, an organization as adept at using funny in defense of facts as the filmmaker herself. 

HAIL SATAN? is available for $3, presented alongside 3 other films by Penny Lane free of charge streaming May 28-June 4.

Join us for a Zoom conversation on Saturday, May 30 at 1PM EDT with Penny Lane to dive deeper!