With this year’s international premiere of “The Glassworker” at the esteemed Annecy Festival in June, the Riaz cousins hope to transform the perception of Pakistan as a country lacking in excellent 2D hand-painted animation.
In recent years, Pakistan has gained recognition in the film industry for its films that have had global premieres at some of the most esteemed festivals worldwide. Films like Saim Sadiq’s Joyland (2022) from Cannes’ Un Certain Regard and Zarrar Kahn’s In Flames (2023) from Director’s Fortnight have qualified as the nation’s Oscar submission for their respective years of release. Joyland, in particular, won both the Queer Palm prize for best LGBTQ-themed film and the Jury Prize in UCR.
Usman Riaz’s coming feature film The Glassworker is no different. This innovative initiative, which will make its world premiere during the upcoming Annecy Festival in early June, is certain to draw attention and pique curiosity on a worldwide scale.
The Glassworker, however, is unique and sets itself apart from the other projects described above because—if the name of the festival where it will have its global debut hasn’t given it away—it is an animated effort. The Glassworker is actually Pakistan’s first-ever 2D hand-drawn animated movie.
The film’s crew held a small press conference inside the American Pavilion at this year’s Cannes Film Festival to discuss the project.
Beautifully animated, The Glassworker is reminiscent of a Studio Ghibli film, which Riaz acknowledges as an influence. The film features an English-language cast of talented actors including Art Malik (Man Like Mobeen, City of Joy and The Jewel in the Crown), Sacha Dhawan (Wolf), Anjli Mohindra (The Lazarus Project), and Tony Jayawardena (Ackley Bridge). Apoorva Bakshi, the acclaimed producer behind Delhi Crime, is executive producing the film.
The narrative of young, talented Vincent and his father Tomas, who owns the best glass workshop in the nation, is told in the film. When a young army colonel and his aspirational violinist daughter Alliz arrive, Whey find their lives turned upside down by an impending conflict in which they have no desire to participate.
The Glassworker’s revolutionary qualities extend beyond its status as the country’s first 2D hand-drawn animated film. It is also a movie that has started a movement since Usman and his cousin Khizer Riaz, rather than leaving their own country to pursue their dream of making a feature-length animated picture, established Mano Animation Studios.
It was actually Studio Ghibli that inspired Usman. The producer, filmmaker, and artist, a Ted Talks alumnus who traveled to Japan with Ted Seniors, the Talks’ follow-up, sought guidance from Studio Ghibli creatives. It was during a tour that Shin Hashida, one of the studio’s executives, advised him to construct his own studio after hearing Usman lament the lack of facilities in his home country. With a cheeky smile, Usman acknowledged in the Cannes conversation that it may have been just to get rid of him sooner. Regardless of Hashida’s justifications, Usman and his cousin set to work creating the full-service animation studio Mano in the center of Karachi.
Three people are involved in Mano Animation Studios: Khizer Riaz, the CEO and producer of the company, Usman Riaz, the co-founder and director, and Mariam Paracha, the co-founder and art director.
