Mano Animation Studio’s The Glassworker, which was selected for this year’s Annecy International Animation Film Festival in the ‘Work in Progress’ category, was screened on 15th June.
The director of the project, Usman Riaz, attended the fest with some of his team members. He gave everyone a sneak peek at the film fest and what was happening right from their technical rehearsals to the main event. Usman was accompanied by The Glassworker’s artistic director Mariam Paracha, producers Khizer Riaz and Manuel Cristóbal.
The animation received the first standing ovation at Annecy Work in Progress in four years. While Usman shared that they weren’t allowed to take videos or photos, he will share the official video once he receives it. But here is when it actually happened!
He also attended an exclusive Netflix party and a screening of Lightyear!
Mano Animation Studio is a homegrown facility spearheaded by Usman Riaz with some of the best artists and animators in the country. The Glassworker has been in the works for some years now and will be Pakistan’s first hand-drawn feature film.
The Glassworker tells the story of a young man who works in his father’s glass workshop. Their lives are upended by the threat of an impending war, especially since the protagonist falls in love with an army colonel’s daughter. Every frame in the film has been meticulously drawn by Riaz and his team in a style that pays homage to Japan’s Studio Ghibli.
The Annecy Festival is held in France every year and showcases animated work from across the world. The festival has hosted studios like DreamWorks Animation and Sony Pictures in the past. The Glassworker is due to be released publicly in 2023.
