During their heyday, malls captivated Hollywood filmmakers. From 1978’s “Dawn of the Dead” and 1982’s “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” through 1991’s “Scenes From a Mall” and 1995’s “Mallrats,” important sequences or entire movies were shot within shopping centers. 

For late Baby Boomers, Gen Xers, and Millennials, they were often a place one worked at or escaped to, with their all-in-one concept inspiring in some a desire to live in them. The new documentary “Secret Mall Apartment” explores just that: how a collective of young artists created a living space within a Providence, Rhode Island, mall and how they were able to keep it hidden for four years. Absorbing and appealing, the doc arrives at the IFC Center on Wednesday, with special screenings over the weekend featuring the director, Jeremy Workman, and an executive producer, Jesse Eisenberg.