"Saalfield's lively doc celebrates the invigorating work of Ron Athey through fascinating footage culled from his touring shows and salty interviews with the confidently queer performance artist and his troupe. Not to be missed".

"Contrary to many films on similar subjects, which tend to dwell ghoulishly on the pain and bloodletting of the performances without getting close to the motivation for it, Saalfield coaxes quite articulate responses from Athey and his stage company, indicating that the work is not just about shocking the audience but about dealing with his life".

Raised by his grandmother to be a Pentecostal minister, Athey was speaking in tongues by the age of ten, a heroine addict by seventeen, and a performance artist by twenty-three. HALLELUJAH! is Catherine Gund Saalfield's compelling look into the life and work of a gay, HIV + performance artist, who practices sadomasochistic ritual as a personal religion. Through interviews with him and his troupe and featuring scenes from his touring show in Zagreb, Croatia and Mexico City, we are witness to a man who uses excessive means to test physical endurance. Pain and taboos are strikingly confronted in this meditative and autobiographical look at damnation, sacrifice and redemption. His lavish stage productions recall religious spectacle.

A favorite at European New Theatre Festivals, Athey's full-length productions have not been presented in the US in almost four years. When the film opens around the country in November, Athey will perform the US premiere of "Deliverance" in New York City and Los Angeles.