After I saw the trailer, I felt the sense of Hayao Miyazaki‘s early works, a passion and ambition from Mano Animation Studios and director Usman Riaz brings “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, Teresa Gallagher. Maya Soraya, Sham Ali, Mina Anwar.

Watermelon Pictures 

Our mission is to shift culture on a large scale by bringing Palestinian cinema, and other untold stories, to broad audiences in a way that entertains, inspires, and activates audiences. By mobilizing movements for social justice, we hope to expand the reach of our artists by distributing their works in theaters and beyond. Through our own development and production, we are changing the scope of what a Palestinian film can be and empowering artists to reclaim their own narrative. We aim to build a shared collective vision for liberatory cinema that celebrates diversity and challenges power. In the spirit of Palestinian hospitality, we welcome everyone to hear our stories — if you come to our table, we will feed you.

The film will open on August 15th, 2025.