Displaced from their homes and studios by commercial development, eight RISD (Rhode Island School of Design) artists discovered a hidden “negative space” (unoccupied construction storage) within the nearby Providence Place Mall.

They planned a piece of performance art / protest – they would live there for one week, documenting their experience, poking fun at the developers’ obsession with “underutilized spaces” and high-end commercialism. It became something more. They turned the space into a hangout and over time made it into an apartment with a secret entrance, not visible within the mall.

Ultimately their act of rebellion against gentrification produced a hub for creation of public/private art. Their one-week residency turned into Four Years, and they spent their free time doing artistic charity — fostering public art — volunteering at local children’s hospitals, teaching art at schools, placing tape art on interior and exterior walls, creating massive memorial outdoor art pieces for victims of 9/11 and the Oklahoma City Bombing.

An engaging, funny yet serious true story, Secret Mall Apartment starts out with an original prank. As the film evolves it reveals an underlying message: art is fused with life, a way of existing rather than just something you make and sell. It shows us eight conscientious and thoughtful artists, declaring their presence and individuality in the most unlikely and unique ways.

And it is also a fascinating story, well told.

DIRECTORS’ STATEMENT
By Jeremy Workman

“You want to hear something incredible?”

It was very late at night. We were in Athens, Greece. I had only met Michael randomly a few days before at an art festival, but we became fast friends and spent each evening in Athens talking until dawn. On our last night, Michael was a little tipsy and seemed to be working up the courage to tell me something.

He proceeded to tell me about the Secret Mall Apartment — how he and 7 of his Rhode Island friends snuck inside the Providence Place Mall one night in 2003, discovered a secret space, and turned it into their home. They dodged mall security and snuck in loads of furniture — a large couch, a dresser, a grand credenza, a dining table and chairs, a television, a PlayStation, a waffle iron, and countless personal effects. They tapped into the mall’s electricity, ate at the food court, and used the mall’s bathrooms. In perhaps their boldest gesture, they smuggled in over 100 cinder blocks and cemented up a brick wall that concealed their secret space even further. In late 2007, FOUR YEARS after first moving in, Michael and his crew were finally caught.

And then Michael dropped the final kicker: they had filmed nearly everything along the way. And practically no one had ever seen this footage.

I was floored. I also had a permanent smile etched on my face listening to this insane story.

Apparently, the secret apartment was actually some sort of Rhode Island urban legend. When the apartment was discovered in 2007, the story had been covered breathlessly in the local news (and beyond). But since then, it has receded from public memory, lost to urban myth and local lore. A lot of Providence locals no longer even knew about it.

The story of SECRET MALL APARTMENT instantly became an obsession for me. I spent the next year learning about the apartment and the Providence Place Mall, frequently driving up to Providence from New York City in order to visit Michael and get to know all the participants. It was a very impressive group. All 8 of them were conscientious and thoughtful, and all still worked in the arts. Where I had wondered if they were just goofy pranksters, I quickly learned that they created the secret apartment to make a statement against gentrification. They had lost their homes as a result of development, and this was their unique personal way to show developers that they weren’t going anywhere. Where I had wondered if they were just provocateurs, I quickly learned that they all lived a life of deep artistic commitment and integrity. At the same time that they were building up the secret apartment, they spent their free time doing artistic charity — volunteering at local children’s hospitals, teaching art at schools, or creating massive memorial art pieces for victims of 9/11 and the Oklahoma City Bombing.

And of course, I learned more about the secret apartment itself. It seemed to be like a clubhouse, a hangout, a headquarters, a rebellious 750 square foot symbol against capitalist excess, a walled fortress of subversive mischief, not to mention a very complex DIY public/private artwork that changed and transformed whenever I thought I had a handle on it.

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.

“A hugely entertaining and insightful doc about issues/art that will force you to think while you laugh.”
– Ken Burns, PBS Filmmaker

“It’s a fascinating, true story. You have to all see this film! It’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen.”
– Jimmy Fallon, The Tonight Show

“Delightful… Moving… Issues of urban renewal, the value of public art, the difficulty of being married to an obsessive artist and lots more run through Workman’s film. It’s consistently, thoughtfully engaging. And, yes, often very funny in its open-hearted embrace of the DIY spirit, legal or otherwise”– Michael Philips, Chicago Tribune

“Alternately funny and moving… What starts as a quirky human interest story becomes a profoundly human portrait of creativity and community.” … “A chronicle of urban decline, bourgeois consumerism, the purpose of art and the hypocrisy of greed laid bare.” 
-Ann Hornaday, Washington Post

“The fascinating documentary from Jeremy Workman transforms a fantasy into something far more profound: a meditation on artistic purpose, urban displacement, and a quiet rebellion against corporate America.” – Loud And Clear Reviews

RottenTomatoes  98% Certified Fresh, 51 out of 52 positive reviews).  Critic Consensus: “Secret Mall Apartment unspools a wild story full of relatable wish fulfillment and social commentary, making for a highly entertaining treatise on artistic expression.”

“Compelling…. Jeremy Workman’s documentary looks back at a project that may sound like a joke but had serious underpinnings.” -Alissa Wilkinson, New York Times

“Fascinating.. 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.” –Matt Zoller Seitz, RogerEbert.com

“Deliriously entertaining and moving… Watching Secret Mall Apartment, I was reminded at times of Man On Wire.” –Bilge Ebiri, Vulture
“One of the Best Movies of 2025 (so far)” – Vulture
“A testament to youthful ingenuity” –Vulture (from SXSW coverage)

“One of my favorite movies of the year to date. A remarkable story and a funny and hopeful one – a celebration of the indomitable urge to humanize the inhuman and a blueprint for colonizing the “negative spaces” of a society intent on gentrifying its citizens out of a future.”
–Ty Burr, Ty Burr’s Watchlist

“Audacious… The movie is a loving reminder of a time when things still felt possible.” – Collider

“Remarkable…A dazzling doc that’s a kiss-off to gentrification.” –The Daily Beast

“Impossibly compelling… Has the tension and fun of a crime caper.” –Paste Magazine

“Equal parts funny, emotional, and personal.” –Austin Chronicle

“Full of charm and wonder” –Crooked Marquee

“Audacious… A gift that you will treasure.” –Film Threat

“Every tangent is important to this remarkable tale and its tribute to the superfluousness and often surreptitiousness of great public art” –NonFics

“Fascinating… A thoughtful celebration of DIY artistry” –Variety

“Breezy. Affectionate. Delightful.” -The Pitch

“A quintessential story of humanity.” –Cinapse

“A fantastic narrative of cunning protest.” –Hammer To Nail

“Fascinating…Art and rebellion collide in this unique time capsule.” –The Playlist

“Entertaining and provocative… A deeper, Borgesian kind of subversiveness.” –Arts Fuse

“Secret Mall Apartment is sure to hit a nerve.” –Daily Grindhouse

“A fascinating story rife with political and social commentary” –The Film Stage

”As remarkable to watch as it must have been for Providence to discover.” –Toronto Star

“It’s simply that good and intriguing.” –The Joy of Movies

“This film is about so much more than the novelty its fairly whimsical title suggests.” –AWFJ (Alliance of Women Film Journalists)

MICHAEL TOWNSEND
Michael Townsend is arguably the founder of the Tape Art movement and has been recklessly drawing on buildings for over 30 years with and without permission. He has driven over a million miles across the country to spearhead over 500 large-scale Tape Art murals as well as collaborations in dance, film, sculpture, and more than one secret underground installation. His work, when discovered, has garnered national press with a few projects that have erupted into international news stories. Michael’s work is ephemeral and 95% of his artworks no longer physically exist.

He is an avid teacher who believes in the art capabilities of everyone. In the last few decades, he has introduced collaborative drawing to over 60,000 students in environments ranging from community centers and universities to corporate board rooms, prisons, and hospitals. In his other pursuits, he has broken video game world records, saved historic mill buildings from demolition, and will happily turn any space into a sweaty dance floor. For more information: www.tapeart.com.

ADRIANA VALDEZ YOUNG
Adriana Valdez Young is a design researcher who makes products, spaces, and experiences more inclusive, helpful, and joyful. She grew up in a family of new Americans who romanticized the mall as a temple to fulfill their dreams. She has visited dozens of shopping malls around our planet as part of her research on the securitization of lifestyle and architecture as a tool for conflict mediation and creation. Currently, she is faculty and acting chair of MFA Interaction Design at the School of Visual Arts, New York City. She holds a BA in History from Brown University and an MS in City Design from the London School of Economics. She much prefers sleeping on an organic mattress made of Greek wool, coconut fiber, and foam over a dusty nest of discarded insulation tiles any time.

COLIN BLISS
Colin Bliss is an interdisciplinary artist, living and working in Providence, Rhode Island. He studied Sculpture at the Rhode Island School of Design, where he now works as a Technician and Technical Instructor. In works that range from devastatingly permanent to fleeting and transient, he explores the emotional lives of objects, and how these contemporary artifacts can tell just enough of a story to leave a viewer with a path to craft their ending. For more information: www.colinbliss.com

JAMES J.A. MERCER
James J.A. Mercer is a New York based artist whose paintings, drawings and animations explore troubled geometries. Highlighting moments of alienation in suburban architecture, he paints situations hovering on the edge of relatability, held in spatial and emotional contradiction. James received an MFA from Columbia University and a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design. He has exhibited at the Today Art Museum in Beijing, the Drawing Center, Pioneer Works, and the Roswell Museum. His collaborative animations with Yifan Jiang have been shown at IFFR, Slamdance and Eyeworks Festival. You can see his work at: jamesmercer.net.

ANDREW OESCH
Andrew Oesch is an Artist Educator living in Providence, RI. He sees learning as a space for expansive collaborative making. Past projects with students have ranged from exploring oral histories of families and communities to transforming the classroom environment through costumes and temporary installations. He is interested in moments when many meanings pile up, particularly through social and art/design media. The Processes and work surrounding these moments are messy, ephemeral, ambiguous, and a great deal of fun. Currently, he is working at The Learning Community in Central Falls as a 7th and 8th-grade teaching artist in addition to being an artist educator at the RISD Museum. From 2006-08, Andrew was an Artist Mentor and is now a member of the board of directors. You can see past projects and updates at andrewoesch.com.

GRETA SCHEING
Greta Scheing is an artist and animator living in Providence, RI. She believes design and storytelling can make our daily lives better and wants to use her skills as a megaphone. When she’s not animating she’s thinking about being outside, speculative fiction, intersectionality, and rollerskating. Sometimes all at once. For more information, visit https://greta.video/

JAY ZEHNGEBOT
Raised in Florida, forged in Providence, and based out of Brooklyn, Jay Zehngebot has been drawing from the jump. An early interest in comics, art, and children’s books led to a degree from the Rhode Island School of Design (printmaking). The opportunity to work as a professional public artist on temporary, large-scale murals with the Tape Art collective struck, as did the chance to help build, teach, and direct community programming at AS220’s Community Printshop in Providence, RI. From there, a dream to develop creative software turned into a Masters from NYU’s ITP, and a segue into a long run in web publishing, internal tooling, and experimentation as an artistic director of various companies. For more information, visit https://realjayz.com/

EMILY USTACH
Emily Ustach is the Deputy Director of New Urban Arts, a community of high school students and adult mentors in Providence sharing space, skills, and resources to inspire creative expression. She has received training in Art History and painting but has found her creative practice lies in youth development and non-profit administration. Previously, Emily developed the Education Fellowship AmeriCorps program at The Learning Community, a nationally recognized public charter school. She also worked as the Program Coordinator at Rhode Island Campus Compact, where she supported college student’s civic and community engagement. Emily was born in a small town in Eastern North Carolina where she was raised among artists and scientists. She received her B.A. in Art History from Salem College, in Winston-Salem, NC, and her M.A. in Community Based Arts Education from the Rhode Island School of Design. She lives in Providence with her husband Mike and their cat Kepler.

JEREMY WORKMAN (Director, Producer)
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 in 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.

JESSE EISENBERG (Executive Producer)
Jesse Eisenberg is an actor, director, and playwright known for his captivating performances across film, television, and theater. Born in New York City in 1983, Eisenberg rose to prominence with his breakout role as Mark Zuckerberg in THE SOCIAL NETWORK, for which he earned an Academy Award nomination. With a unique blend of wit, intensity, and vulnerability, Eisenberg has delivered memorable performances in a diverse range of films, including ZOMBIELAND, THE SQUID AND THE WHALE, and NOW YOU SEE ME. Beyond his work on screen, Eisenberg is also an accomplished playwright, with his plays being produced both off-Broadway and internationally. In the last two years, he has also written and directed two films – WHEN YOU FINISH SAVING THE WORLD (A24) and A REAL PAIN (Fox Searchlight). A REAL PAIN won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival and went on to become a high-profile acquisition for Fox Searchlight. SECRET MALL APARTMENT is the 2nd film that he’s Executive Produced with director Jeremy Workman, as Eisenberg previously served as an EP on Workman’s THE WORLD BEFORE YOUR FEET.

MICHAEL LISNET (Cinematographer)
Michael Lisnet is a Brooklyn-based cinematographer and photographer. Michael has worked with Jeremy Workman on numerous projects including LILY TOPPLES THE WORLD which won the Grand Jury Prize – Best Documentary SXSW 2021. With 25 years of experience, Michael has worked for many diverse clients ranging from Def Jam Records, A24, Prada, Sony Pictures, Vogue Magazine, New York Times, GE, etc… Lisnet is also a video artist who combines sound, photography, and video to create fine art that is both beautiful and profound. Michael is proud to have worked on SECRET MALL APARTMENT. Http://www.michaellisnet.com

DAN KENNEDY (Cinematographer)
Dan Kennedy is a cinematographer with a rich independent filmmaking background and extensive commercial experience. Dan’s cinematography has been featured at Tribeca, Sitges, and Rome, and he has collaborated with many renowned music video and commercial directors, artists and brands in the US. For more information, visit https://www.kennedydp.com/

PAUL MURPHY (Co-Editor)
Paul Murphy is a film editor based in Melbourne, Australia. He edited RED OBSESSION (2013), narrated by Russell Crowe and winner of the AACTA for Best Feature Documentary. In 2016, Murphy edited the feature film BEAST, a drama-thriller starring Garret Dillahunt and Angeli Bayani. The film made its debut at the Toronto International Film Festival. More recently, in 2022, he edited BLIND AMBITION, a documentary following four Zimbabwean refugees turned sommeliers. It won the Audience Award for Best Documentary at the Tribeca Film Festival. In addition to SECRET MALL APARTMENT, Murphy has edited another film set for release this year: the sci-fi thriller IN VITRO, starring Ashley Zukerman of SUCCESSION fame.

OLIVIER AND CLARE MANCHON (Composers)
Based in Kingston NY (from Brooklyn/Paris/Martha’s Vineyard), Olivier and Clare Manchon come from a background of writing, recording and touring- Sharing music with live audiences. They had the band Clare & the Reasons and Olivier headed up Orchestre de Chambre Miniature. Clare first saw Olivier standing in front of a Dunkin Donuts across from the Berklee College of Music they both attended in Boston, she thought “I shall make that Frenchman mine!” … She then asked him to play on an arrangement she had written, he laughed, she cried…the rest is history.
They started scoring with a documentary about Ricky Jay about 12 years ago and haven’t looked back. They made scores and songs for films and TV such as TURN EVERY PAGE about Rober Caro and Robert Gottlieb, the ABC series BLACK BOX starring Vanessa Redgrave, music in THE UNBEARABLE WEIGHT OF A MASSIVE TALENT (Nick Cage) EMILY IN PARIS season 1 and 2 on Netflix, NBC’s GOOD GIRLS, ONCE WERE BROTHERS: ROBBIE ROBERTSON AND THE BAND, Amazon’s MODERN LOVE, Oscar-shortlisted short films “Deciding Vote” (Directed by Jeremy Workman of SECRET MALL APARTMENT) and HYSTERICAL GIRL, the Canal Plus French adventure “En Attendant Bojangles”, starring Romain Duris and Virginie Efira, and so many more. Over the years collaborations have been had with Van Dyke Parks, Sufjan Stevens, The National, Peter Dinklage, DeKotchka, and many more. Olivier and Clare approach each film project by creating a sonic universe that supports, paints, juxtaposes and gives an auditory experience that is imperative to the storytelling. They also hate midi, love the sound of a human breathing while playing their instrument, and deeply appreciate the absence of music.

MATT SPAIN (Executive Producer)
Matthew Spain is a producer and creative entrepreneur who focuses on early-phase indie film, documentary, TV, and theater. Recent feature executive producing credits include documentary SECRET MALL APARTMENT, dramedy RAMONA AT MIDLIFE, and noir romantic thriller BLACK DIAMOND. Committed to mainstream entertainment that makes you think differently about the world, Spain is passionate about projects that bring provocative characters and perspectives to the forefront.

IVAN WILLIAMS (Executive Producer)
As a Southern California entertainment leader, Ivan Williams has helped produce the hit podcast HIDDEN HISTORY HAPPY HOUR, and the films KNIGHTS OF BADASSDOM, BIG STONE GAP, M.F.A., CREATING WOODSTOCK, RAMONA AT MIDLIFE, and the Broadway musical First Date. He also was on the team that helped make the Academy Museum-recognized, Geena Davis executive produced, feature documentary THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING. A film that illuminated the issue of gender misrepresentation in Hollywood. Recently, Ivan presented two short climate change-related films (HEART OF THE SEA, and LETTER FROM THE AGE OF ECOCIDE) during the COP28 summit in Dubai and is premiering the feature THE WONDER AND THE WORRY at the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival. In addition to SECRET MALL APARTMENT, Ivan is also world premiering the documentary HOW TO BUILD A TRUTH ENGINE at the SXSW Film Festival too.

Ivan is an active member of the Producers Council of the Producers Guild of America, co-founder of two non-profit ecological-oriented art and design collectives, a distinguished member of the non-profit entertainment and arts advocacy organization The Creative Coalition, a member of the Broadway Dreams and Apples and Oranges Arts board of directors and an advisory board member of the startups ScriptHop and Re|Space.