Web Desk (National Times) – The Glassworker, Pakistan s first hand-drawn film made by Usman Riaz, is one of eight feature films from around the world chosen for the Work In Progress category at France s Annecy International Animation Festival 2022.

The Glassworker, which is made by Usman Riaz’s Mano Animation Studios, is an original story of young Vincent and his father Tomas, who run the country s best glass workshop and find their lives upended by the impending war.

The Glassworker stands alongside some of the recent top animated movies such as Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse, Klaus, and How to Train Your Dragon 2.

The Annecy Film Festival is well-known around the world and is always on the hunt for noteworthy animation. The films on the Work in Progress list are those that have a lot of potential for future accolades and box office success.

The Mano Animation studio brought together young and creative artists, with a median age of 27 and a female-dominated staff of 52 percent.

It has been defined as a project full of surprises that promotes animation variety. Mano Animation has established a global collaborative network that includes Malaysia, the Philippines, Japan, Peru, Argentina, the United States, and the United Kingdom.

The director of the feature film, Usman Riaz claimed, “IT is an honour to represent Pakistan at Annecy 2022. Only 8 exceptional feature films are selected from all over the world for Annecy’s ‘Work in Progress.”

“To have our first feature film, The Glassworker, on the same stage as so many incredible and inspiring animated films that have come before us is genuinely humbling,” concluded Usman Riaz.