

Feature
Secret Mall Apartment
***Official Selection – 2024 Florida Film Festival – East Coast Premiere
*Director JEREMY WORKMAN will be in attendance on May 8th for an extended audience Q&A after the film.*
One Week Only!
Remember when you were a kid and dreamt of living in a candy store? Well, in 2003, a group of artists in Providence, Rhode Island, turned this idea into a game that went way further than any of them could have imagined. From executive producer Jesse Eisenberg and director Jeremy Workman (Lilly Topples the World, FFF 2021 and Magical Universe, FFF 2013) we follow artist Michael Townsend and his subversive friends, who literally find a way to build an apartment inside a mall and live there for four years without anyone noticing.
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, a clubhouse to coordinate their artistic charity, and finally, a 750-square-foot space that sticks it to the man. Endlessly fascinating and terrifically entertaining, it’s worth the price of admission just to see the cat and mouse chess match between the artists and mall security guards!
2024, 91 minutes, USA, Directed by Jeremy Workman, Not Rated
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“It’s consistently, thoughtfully engaging. And, yes, often very funny in its open-hearted embrace of the DIY spirit, legal or otherwise.”
– Michael Phillips, CHICAGO TRIBUNE -
“Remarkable. A dazzling and outrageous doc that’s a kiss-off to gentrification.”
– Coleman Spildie, DAILY BEAST -
“Captivating and illuminating. A subject that's stranger than fiction and has to be seen to be believed”
– Avi Offer, NYC MOVIE GURU -
“The discreet pushback against gentrification has the tension and fun of a crime caper, with interviews building out the philosophy of the collective."
– Jacob Oller, PASTE MAGAZINE -
“It’s a fascinating story rife with political and social commentary that pushes beyond the headlines.”
– John Fink, THE FILM STAGE -
“This is a delightful, thought-provoking movie that’s about a lot of things at the same time. It’ll make you see the world with fresh eyes, and probably wonder why there isn’t more art in it.”
– Matt Zoller Seitz, ROGEREBERT.COM

