The renowned contemporary German filmmaker is in the Capital to conduct a workshop on his extensive body of work. Having directed over 90 documentaries, films and television productions, Farocki has steadily established a reputation as a filmmaker who has mastered the art of portraying violence, wars, and consumerism. The workshop has been designed to cover Farocki's most creative phases and will include screening of his award winning films such as Inextinguishable Fire, War at a Distance, and Not without risk.

The Max Mueller Bhavan in association with the Public Service Broadcasting Trust held a screening of Farocki's 2001 documentary, The Creators of Shopping Worlds on Thursday evening. The film highlights how detailed planning goes into the designing of shopping malls in order to ensure that maximum number of customers are tempted to make "impulsive purchases".

All commercial, architectural and even visual options are systematically controlled to create an environment that is conducive to shopping. In a brilliantly filmed segment, Farocki shows a group of planners debate for almost 15 minutes over how and where bread should be displayed in a supermarket to ensure that people buy it, whether they need it or not. Nothing, it seems, is ever left to chance in such assessments.