Pakistan’s first hand-made animated film ‘The Glassworker’ debuts at Annecy International Festival

The category acts as a barometer for future standout awards and box office successes and it’s an honour that a Pakistani animated film, with its limited market, has made the cut and was showcased at a big platform! The category has previously featured Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse, Klaus and How to Train Your Dragon 2 as well. 

The Glassworker is directed by Usman Riaz under the banner Mano Animation Studios. Riaz took to his social media to share a glimpse from the showreel that will debut at the international film festival.

In a promo released earlier, the animated film, touted to be inspired by Studio Ghibli, is an original story about young Vincent and his father Tomas, who run the finest glass workshop in the country and find their lives upended by an impending war in which they want no part. The arrival in their town of an army colonel and his young, talented violinist daughter, Alliz, shakes their reality and tests the relationship between father and son.

The website for the studio shares that the project is actually the fruit of many talented individual’s hardwork.The Glassworker involves young and talented artists with a median age of 27 years and 52 per cent of the team is female. It’s been described as a project full of surprises that encourages diversity in animation. Mano Animation has built a collaboration network that extends to Malaysia, the Philippines, Japan, Peru, Argentina, the United States and the United Kingdom.

The film is scheduled to be completed and release in cinemas in 2023.