Pakistan’s first hand-drawn animated movie, The Glassworker, has released its first trailer. The feature, directed by Usman Riaz, is scheduled to open in Pakistani cinemas on July 26, 2024.
The Glassworker, which hails from Mano Animation Studios, has yet to receive an international release date. However, Variety reported that the animated feature will be screened at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival alongside other titles including Despicable Me 4, Inside Out 2, Moana 2, and Transformers One.
The upcoming film will also be screened at the Cannes Film Market. The English voice cast for The Glassworker includes Art Malik (Man Like Mobeen), Sacha Dhawan (Wolf), Anjli Mohindra (The Lazarus Project), Tony Jayawardena (Ackley Bridge), Teresa Gallagher (Octonauts & The Great Barrier Reef), Maya Soraya, Sham Ali, and Mina Anwar.
What is The Glassworker about?
Set in a location loosely inspired by Pakistan, the animated film will center on young Vincent, whose father runs the country’s finest glass workshop. They will soon find their lives changing before their eyes when an approaching war starts to threaten their country.
“Young Vincent and his father, Tomas, 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 official synopsis for The Glassworker reads.
Riaz takes pride in attempting to make the first-ever animated film in Pakistan. In a statement, the director revealed that the film has been in development for a decade.
“I started this journey 10 years ago in 2014. No one believed it was possible. To have the film premiere at Annecy 2024 alongside some of the best-animated films in the world is a feeling I cannot really describe. I am overjoyed and in awe,” said Riaz. “No one had ever attempted to make a hand-drawn animated film in Pakistan for a very good reason — it’s impossible. We have all worked extremely hard to make this possible. I am grateful to the Annecy team for believing in ‘The Glassworker,’ not just as a film, but for what it represents, which is the power of perseverance.”
