Secret Mall Apartment | |
---|---|
Directed by | Jeremy Workman |
Produced by | Jeremy Workman |
Starring | Michael Townsend Colin Bliss Adriana Valdez Young Andrew Oesch Greta Scheing James Mercer Emily Ustach Jay Zehngebot |
Cinematography | Dan Kennedy Michael Lisnet Jeremy Workman |
Edited by | Paul Murphy Jeremy Workman |
Music by | Claire Manchon Olivier Manchon |
Production company | Wheelhouse Creative |
Release date |
|
Running time | 91 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Secret Mall Apartment is an American documentary film directed by filmmaker Jeremy Workman that recounts the story of a group of young Rhode Islanders who built a secret apartment inside the bustling Providence Place shopping mall in Providence, Rhode Island in 2003, living there for four years until getting caught and charged with trespassing in 2007. [1] [2] [3] The story had been urban legend for many years [4] and the documentary brought together the original 8 participants for the first time in 17 years. [5]
Secret Mall Apartment had its world premiere at the SXSW Film Festival on March 8, 2024 [6] where its popularity earned it the festival's first added "Buzz Screening". [7] It was cited in several high-profile publications as one of the stand-out documentaries of SXSW [8] [9] and subsequently as one of "the best documentaries of 2024." [10] [11]
Secret Mall Apartment marks the second collaboration between Workman and actor Jesse Eisenberg, who serves as one of the film's producers. [12] [13] Previously, Eisenberg produced Workman's 2018 documentary The World Before Your Feet.
After premiering at the 2024 SXSW Film Festival, the documentary later screened at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, [11] Melbourne International Film Festival, [14] Vancouver International Film Festival, [15] Hamptons International Film Festival, [16] and the closing night film of the newportFilm Outdoor Festival, [17] winning a number of film festival awards during its run. [18] [19] [20] [21] [22]
Secret Mall Apartment has been widely praised upon its release. It has a 100% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 18 reviews. [23]
Brian Farvour of The Playlist stated that "art and rebellion collide in this unique time capsule." [24] . Coleman Spilde of The Daily Beast stated that "director Jeremy Workman sews together a larger narrative that, at times, becomes unexpectedly moving." Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com stated that "the Secret Mall Apartment led to the kind of environment where creatives inspire other creatives to be their best selves". [25] Alex Hudson of Exclaim! stated that "'Secret Mall Apartment' turns a childlike fantasy into a commentary on capitalism." [26] Michael Nordine of Variety gave the film a mixed positive review, writing that the film "is a thoughtful celebration of the DIY artistry behind that experiment, but only a so-so investigation of it." [27]
For Point of View , Susan G. Cole wrote that "If this was act of resistance, wouldn’t it have been useful for the forces you’re fighting to know what you were doing? Who benefits, actually? And if nobody can see this clever installation, is it art? Like any fascinating meditation on the meaning of art and its potential as a political force, Workman’s doc asks more questions than it answers, which is a very good thing." [28]
Providence Place is an American shopping mall in Providence, Rhode Island. With 1,400,000 sq ft (130,000 m2) of gross leasable area, it has been the largest shopping mall in Rhode Island since it opened in 1999. As of 2022, the mall is anchored by Macy's and Boscov's, and features premier brands such as Abercrombie & Fitch, Adore Me, J.Crew, Brooks Brothers, Tiffany & Co., and Free People.
Michael Stephenson, known professionally as Michael Paul Stephenson, is an American filmmaker and actor. He is known for directing the critically acclaimed documentaries Best Worst Movie and The American Scream. Stephenson made his narrative feature debut with Girlfriend’s Day, starring Bob Odenkirk. Stephenson's latest film, Attack of the Murder Hornets, is an original documentary that he directed and produced for Discovery+. He is a member of the Directors Guild of America.
The Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival is the largest documentary festival in North America. The event takes place annually in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The 27th edition of the festival took place online throughout May and June 2020. In addition to the annual festival, Hot Docs owns and operates the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema, administers multiple production funds, and runs year-round screening programs including Doc Soup and Hot Docs Showcase.
Ondi Doane Timoner is an American filmmaker and the founder and chief executive officer of Interloper Films, a production company located in Pasadena, California.
Lucy Walker is an English film director. She has directed the feature documentaries Devil's Playground (2002), Blindsight (2006), Waste Land (2010), Countdown to Zero (2010), The Crash Reel (2013), Buena Vista Social Club: Adios (2017), Bring Your Own Brigade (2021), and Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa (2023). She has also directed the short films The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom (2011) and The Lion's Mouth Opens (2014). Waste Land was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature and The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary.
Bryan Fogel is an American film director, producer, author, playwright, speaker and human rights activist, best known for the 2017 documentary Icarus, which won an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature at the 90th Academy Awards in 2018.
Benjamin Jeffrey Steinbauer is an American director, showrunner, writer, and producer who directed the feature documentary Winnebago Man (2009). Steinbauer also directed the documentary Chop & Steele (2022), which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, and was the showrunner and director of the episodic television show High Hopes for Jimmy Kimmel's Kimmelot. He also directed the PBS show Stories of the Mind and the CBS docuseries Pink Collar Crimes.
Melody Gilbert is an independent documentary filmmaker, and educator from Washington, D.C. now living in Natchitoches, Louisiana. She has directed, filmed, produced, and sometimes edited, seven independent feature-length documentaries since 2002. The Documentary Channel calls her "one of the most fearless filmmakers in contemporary documentary cinema." She is currently an assistant professor of journalism at Northwestern State University.
Marwencol is a 2010 American documentary film that explores the life and work of artist and photographer Mark Hogancamp. It is the debut feature of director Jeff Malmberg, produced through his production company Open Face. It was the inspiration for Welcome to Marwen, a 2018 drama directed by Robert Zemeckis.
Bob and the Monster is a 2011 documentary film by Keirda Bahruth which profiles musician and drug counselor Bob Forrest.
Trevor Anderson is a Canadian filmmaker and musician. His films have screened at the Sundance Film Festival, Berlin International Film Festival, and the Toronto International Film Festival.
Lindsey Dryden is a British film director, producer and writer.
Motto Pictures is a documentary production company based in Brooklyn, New York specializing in producing and executive producing documentary features. Motto secures financing, builds distribution strategies, and creatively develops films, and has produced over 25 feature documentaries and won numerous awards.
Josh Greenbaum is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He has won an MTV Movie Award, CINE Golden Eagle and Emmy Award. He directed the feature documentary The Short Game, winner of the SXSW Audience Award, which was acquired by Netflix to launch their Originals film division. He also directed Becoming Bond, a documentary about George Lazenby, which won SXSW's Audience Award in the Visions category, as well as the critically acclaimed Too Funny to Fail, a documentary about The Dana Carvey Show. He is also the creator, director and executive producer of Behind the Mask, which earned Hulu its first ever Emmy nomination. He made his narrative feature debut with Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar.
Marina Zenovich is an American filmmaker known for her biographical documentaries. Her films include LANCE, Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind, Richard Pryor: Omit the Logic and Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired, which won two Emmy awards.
Jeremy Workman is an American filmmaker and editor. His documentary films frequently focus on artists, eccentrics, outsiders, and those with extreme passions. His acclaimed films include Secret Mall Apartment, Deciding Vote, Lily Topples The World, The World Before Your Feet, Magical Universe, and Who Is Henry Jaglom? In many of his films, Workman serves as the director, cinematographer, and editor.
Lily Topples the World is a 2021 American documentary film, which follows acclaimed domino toppler Lily Hevesh as she rises as an artist, role model, and young woman. Directed by Jeremy Workman, the film also marks the producing debut of actress Kelly Marie Tran.
TransMilitary is a 2018 American documentary film directed by Gabriel Silverman and Fiona Dawson, about transgender service members fighting to serve openly in the U.S. military. The film premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festival in 2018, and was released in the United States on January 8, 2019.
Sean Wang is a Taiwanese American film director. His feature-length directorial debut, Dìdi, premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, where it received the U.S. Dramatic Audience Award. His documentary short, Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó, premiered at the 2023 South by Southwest, where it won both the Grand Jury Award and Audience Award. It went on to be nominated for Best Documentary Short Film at the 96th Academy Awards.
Sean Stuart, is an Emmy and Grammy award-winning American documentary producer, writer, and director. He is president of Sutter Road Picture Company], and a partner at Company Name with actor/director Colin Hanks. He is best known for Sly, Challenger: The Final Flight, What's My Name: Muhammad Ali, Mike Judge Presents: Tales from the Tour Bus and All Things Must Pass: The Rise and Fall of Tower Records.
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