The Glassworker marks the remarkable debut from Pakistani animator and filmmaker Usman Riaz, who co-wrote and composed the poetic tale. The 2D animated feature, Pakistan’s first hand-drawn animated film, tells the story of Vincent, voiced in English by Sacha Dhawan, a talented young glassblower, and his father Tomas, voiced by Art Malik.
The pair run a cherished glass workshop in their coastal town, whose tranquil rhythm is disrupted by the arrival of a military colonel and his violinist daughter Alliz (voice of Anjli Mohindra).
Named Pakistan’s official submission to the 97th Academy Awards in the Best International Feature Film category, the film had its world premiere at the 2024 Annecy International Animation Film Festival. The Glassworker hits U.S. theaters on August 15, 2025, via Watermelon Pictures.
From Mano Animation Studios and director Usman Riaz comes ‘The Glassworker’, a hand drawn animated feature film set in a location loosely inspired by Pakistan. A 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 love that develops between Vincent and Alliz is challenged constantly by the differing views of their fathers. It is a time when patriotism and social standing are considered more important than free thought and artistic pursuits. It is a time when love is just not relevant. Featuring the voices of Art Malik, Sacha Dhawan, Anjli Mohindra and Tony Jayawardena.
Ahead of the premiere at Annecy 2024, director Farah Nabulsi said, “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. 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.”
See the official trailer above.
Theatrical Release
New York City – August 15th (Exclusively at The Angelika)
Toronto – August 15th
Los Angeles – August 22nd
San Francisco – August 29th
All cities nationwide – September 5th
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