The film marks a major milestone for Pakistan as it becomes the country’s first anime film. The history-making film is the passion project of Pakistan’s first 2D animation studio. Keep reading to find out more!
The Glassworker movie trailer Pakistan news
History is currently being made as Mano Animation Studios released the official English trailer for The Glassworker, Pakistan’s first anime film.
Released on April 26th, the trailer for The Glassworker opens with one of the main characters, Vincent Oliver, reading a letter from his childhood friend, Alliz Amano, reminiscing about her first visit to Waterfront Town. Alliz and Vincent meet when the former wanders into Vincent’s father’s shop on her own.
“I had never seen something so beautiful,” Alliz can be heard saying about the glass-blown artwork, “It was magical,”
As the trailer progresses, the diversity and vibrant nature of Waterfront Town can be seen through stunning animation as soldiers march through the streets. Alliz, who is the daughter of a high-ranking military official, Colonel Amano, and her mother are all shown in the procession.
Despite the two children being discouraged from associating, a friendship is struck between them as war looms. It is revealed that an area called The Great Ravine is disputed between two unnamed countries.
“We claim it, so do they, so we go to war. Idiocy,” Vincent’s father can be heard saying.
The trailer shows the increasingly dangerous world the two friends must navigate, separating them along war lines as Alliz seems to flee alongside several others in a train, and Vincent is seemingly caught in the middle of an air raid.
The trailer ends with Alliz telling Vincent “to be an artist one must create because without art and music, what do we have in this world full of conflict and war?”
What is The Glassworker about Anjli Mohindra Sacha Dhawan
According to its IMDB page, The Glassworker centers around “a young glassworker in training [named Vincent] and his relationships over the years, as his land goes through war and strife,”
Loosely based on Pakistan, the film explores themes of war, friendship, possibly class dynamics—Vincent is the son of a glassblower while Alliz is the daughter of a high-ranking military official—and the importance of art and music in society.
The film, directed by Usman Riaz, features a voice cast that includes Anjli Mohindra of the 2018 Netflix TV show Bodyguard, and Sacha Dhawan, best known for their roles in Doctor Who and The Great.
Many online celebrated the film’s creation, with some commenting on the trailer’s YouTube video they initially thought it was a Studio Ghibli film. Others celebrated the use of 2D animation over computer-generated techniques; other commenters shared how the film made them proud to be Pakistani.
What is Mano Animation Studios Usman Riaz
Founded in 2015, Mano Animation Studios is the first 2D animation studio in Pakistan. Specializing in hand-drawn animation, the studio’s co-founder, Usman Riaz, opened up about the journey it took to create the studio’s self-described passion project.
Riaz spoke in a TED Talk about his passion for animation and his desire to bring creative opportunities to Pakistan.
“[B]ecause there is no [animation] industry in Pakistan,” Riaz explained, “there are no rules. And because there are no rules, there are no restrictions,”
The film took Riaz and co. a decade to create the film, with many leaving their jobs to join the company. Riaz revealed that, since a career in animation wasn’t possible for many people in Pakistan, some had to give up their dreams and went into other fields such as medicine. Some of Mano’s lead animators are former doctors.
When is The Glassworker release date Annecy Animation Festival
While the trailer gives the release date as July 26, this date is only for the Pakistani release of the film. Mano Animation and Riaz announced on social media that The Glassworker will have a world premiere at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in 2024.
Located in Annecy, France, the festival takes place from June 9th until June 15th to gather “the biggest names in the sector and celebrates the creative and diverse animation styles and techniques,”
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Published by HOLR Magazine.
Image Credit: @usmanoriaz Instagram @manoanimationstudios Instagram