Turn Off The Machines 2026

Directed by Joseph El-Khoury

Turn Off the Machines follows Ethan Hughes, a radical homesteader in mid-coast Maine who lives entirely without electricity, global supply chains, or modern technological comforts. Raised in Gloucester to working class parents, an early tragedy shattered a happy childhood and set him on a path of radical resistance. Living deliberately below the poverty line, Ethan's life is not a retreat but a protest against capitalism, war, and ecological collapse. The film explores his convictions, his family's daily rhythms, and the tensions that arise when belief meets the demands of life.