Behind the Screen: SECRET MALL APARTMENT with Director Jeremy Workman and Artist Michael Townsend
When:
Sunday, Apr 13, 2025 12:30p -
3:00p
Sunday, Apr 13, 2025 12:30p -
3:00p
Where:
West Newton Cinema
1296 Washington St.
West Newton, MA 02465
Admission:
$20
Hosted by:
Categories:
Accessible Spots, Good for Groups, Movies, Rainy Day Ideas
Event website:
https://www.westnewtoncinema.com/movie/behind-the-screen-secret-mall-apartment
Film & Post-Screening Discussion with:
Jeremy Workman, Director
Michael Townsend, Artist and onetime Secret Mall Apartment resident
Nate Harrison, Dean of Academic Affairs of the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University, artist and writer
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. 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, a clubhouse to coordinate their artistic charity, and finally, a 750 square foot space that sticks it to the man.
This award-winning documentary took home both the 2024 Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award at IFF Boston.
