In 2003, eight young Rhode Islanders created a secret apartment in a hidden 
space inside the Providence Place Mall and 
lived in it for four years, filming everything along the way. Led by local artist Michael Townsend they snuck in furniture, tapped into the mall’s electricity, and even secretly constructed a brick wall with a locking door, smuggling in over 2 tons of cinderblock. Far more than just a wild prank, the secret apartment became a deeply meaningful place for all its inhabitants – a personal expression of defiance against local gentrification, a boundary-pushing work of public/private art, and finally, a 750 square foot 
space that sticks it to the man! Director and editor Jeremy Workman (The World Before Your Feet) wrote: “Making SECRET MALL APARTMENT was an absolutely joyful and meaningful experience. I feel privileged to share this incredible tale and bring it to a new audience. Hopefully, the story can resonate further. We all continue to live in the shadows of these larger economic systems. Corporations 
come and remake our neighborhoods, and we’re forced to adjust to their whims. We all are under the thumb of an increasingly commodified lifestyle, harder and harder to stand up and assert our identity. SECRET MALL APARTMENT is a reminder to declare your presence and individuality in the most unlikely and unique ways. It’s also one heck of an incredible story.” Workman joins us to talk about Secret Mall Apartment and working with Executive Producer Jessie Eisenberg.
For more go to: secretmallapartment.com
About the filmmaker – Jeremy Workman is the director of the documentaries LILY TOPPLES THE WORLD (Discovery), THE WORLD BEFORE YOUR FEET (Greenwich Entertainment / Kino Lorber), MAGICAL UNIVERSE (IFC Films), and DECIDING VOTE (The New Yorker), among others. Jeremy’s documentaries have been released in theaters and on TV and played at prestigious film festivals throughout the world. His 2023 short documentary DECIDING VOTE – about George Michaels’s 1970 tie-breaking vote on New York’s abortion bill – premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and won multiple film festival awards, before being acquired by The New Yorker. It was shortlisted for the 96th Academy Awards in the Documentary Short Film category. His 2021 feature documentary LILY TOPPLES THE WORLD – about acclaimed domino artist Lily Hevesh – was the Grand Prize Winner for Best Documentary at the 2021 SXSW Film Festival. Soon after, it won the Audience Award for Best Documentary at the 2021 San Francisco Intl Film Festival. It went on to become a high-profile acquisition for Discovery/Discovery+ and was released to acclaim in August 2021. Rotten Tomatoes “Certified Fresh,” it can now be streamed on MAX. Jeremy’s 2018 documentary THE WORLD BEFORE YOUR FEET – about Matt Green’s mission to walk every street of New York City – premiered at SXSW and subsequently was released in over 75 US cities during 2018/2019. Executive Produced by Jesse Eisenberg, it was hailed upon its release and played in US and Canadian theaters for nearly 6 months. Since its release, it’s played in theaters in the Yukon, Vladivostok, Estonia, and Jordan, among dozens of other international locales. It currently stands at 100% on RottenTomatoes. Previously, Jeremy’s 2014 documentary MAGICAL UNIVERSE – about outsider artist Al Carbee – was released theatrically across the US by IFC Films. The documentary won several film festival awards and was a Los Angeles Times and Village Voice Critic’s Pick upon its release. It was featured by The New York Times as “recommended watching” when it debuted on Netflix 2015. Additionally, Jeremy is well-known for his editing work, particularly for indie movie trailers. A two-time Emmy award nominee, Jeremy is the Creative Director of Wheelhouse Creative, a movie trailer company that caters to indie films. For more go to: jeremyworkman.com
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“Remarkable…A dazzling doc that’s a kiss-off to gentrification.” – The Daily Beast
“Secret Mall Apartment shines the light on the kind of art – and the kinds of artists – who work beyond the limelight, pushing both the law and the very definition of “art” itself to their limits.” – Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, AWFJ.org
“Secret Mall Apartment succeeds because director Jeremy Workman knows how to tell a story.” – Alan Ng, Film Threat
“At its core, the film offers unique insights into gentrification, consumerism, and the impermanence of art.” – Naina Srivastava, Austin Chronicle
“Impossibly compelling… Has the tension and fun of a crime caper.” – Paste Magazine
“Fascinating” – Rogerebert.com