Smart Meter Documentary "Take Back Your Power" Wins Humanitarian Award

Activist Post | May 5, 2014

Smart Meter Investigative Documentary Take Back Your Power Wins Indie Fest Annual Humanitarian Award, The Second Award For This Film

Josh del Sol and his documentary, Take Back Your Power, have been named this year’s winner of the Indie Fest Annual Humanitarian Award.

Take Back Your Power follows filmmaker del Sol as he investigates the use of so-named “smart” meter technology, being deployed by utilities and governments to harvest data from within private homes and introduce new pricing schemes.  With compelling insight from whistleblowers, government agents, lawyers, environmentalists and doctors, the documentary “exposes corporate corruption and the erosion of human rights in the name of ‘going green’.”

The Indie Fest is a top-tier international awards competition designed to recognize independent creators of fresh, standout films, television programs, compelling documentaries and new media.  One film is selected each year for the Humanitarian Award based on its dedication to social justice, humanitarian causes, or environmental issues.

Director and producer del Sol spoke of the award helping to expand the reach of the controversial issue. “The subject matter affects everyone, and the conversation deserves to be squarely in the mainstream,” said del Sol. “Should individual rights take a back seat to the collective?  Should energy be an unaffordable privilege, instead of a basic affordable right?  And how can corrupt corporatized government systems be held accountable? These are some of the most profound questions of our time.”

About this year’s winner, Indie Fest Coordinator Thomas Baker, PhD stated, “Take Back Your Power takes on the daunting yet important task of educating people worldwide about the surveillance, hacking, health, home safety, and consumer cost concerns linked to so-called ‘smart’ utility meters.  It was selected out of hundreds of films for our Annual Humanitarian award because it delves into the heart of what is possibly the main problem in our world today: corporations taking over without conscience, and causing extreme levels of harm in the process.”

This is the second major independent award for the boat-rocking film, which was named AwareGuide Transformational Film of the Year in February.  The updated 2nd edition of Take Back Your Power will premiere at the Berkeshire International Film Festival, May 31-June 1 (www.biffma.org).

Take Back Your Power was released online on September 5, 2013.

Theatrical and community screenings are available at www.takebackyourpower.net, where the documentary can also be streamed and is available on DVD.