Jeri Jacquin
Vincent Oliver (voiced by Sacha Dhawan) has always helped his father Tomas (Art Malik) in their glass shop in Waterfront Town. Right on the sea-side, the glasswork pieces they make comes from very special soil making Vincent and his father a very good team. One sunny day while playing outside, Vincent enjoys a visit from his Djinn spirit friend and always seems happy to see it but often wishes he could attend school like other kids.
Then he meets Alliz (Anjli Mohindra), a young girl who is taken with the glassworks shop and befriends Vincent. It wouldn’t be until later that he realizes that her father is Col. Amano (Tony Jayawardena) of whom his own father disapproves of him and the war that surrounds them. He makes it clear to his son that a friendship is ill-advised. Alliz is immediately accepted in the towns music school for her talent with the violin and she makes friends quickly and catches the attention of Malik (Sham Ali).
When Vincent and Alliz meet again, it is clear that they are going to be good friends. At the beach, he explains about the sand and the Djinn. The more time they spend together, the more fun and adventures they have surrounded by the beauty that Waterfront Town has to offer. While Vincent spends his days in the glassworks, Alliz is working on her music at school. The problems start when the boys in town become part of the junior guard and Col. Amano comes knocking on the glassworks door to make a request. It is for the military and to refuse comes at a high price in many ways.
Even as their relationship grows, Vincent and Alliz cannot avoid the war that lands in their town. Col. Amano and school friend Malik (Sham Ali) now must go do their part while Vince and his father do theirs. Everything has not changed and a series of events brings a test of friendship, tales of war and the beauty of art.
Other cast includes Nila Aalia as Principal Bhatti, Teresa Gallager as young Vincent, Alex Jordan as Professor Ansari, Maya Saroya as Penni and Bex Wood as Mrs. Popalzai.
Watermelon Pictures is an American production company founded in 2024 by Badie and Hamza Ali. The company is responsible for distributing such films as LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL, FROM GROUND ZERO and THE ENCAMPMENTS. For more please visit www.watermelonstudios.com.
Mano Animation Studios is Pakistan’s first hand-drawn animation studio based in Karachi. Founded by Usman Riaz along with co-founder Mariam Paracha and CEO Khizer Riaz. The studio aims to have a seat at the table in the film and animation world telling South Asian stories through its own unique perspective. To see more of what they have to offer please visit www.manoanimationstudios.com.
The
film was the Official Selection for Best International Feature at the 07th
Academy Awards. Annecy International Animated Film Festival nominated THE
GLASSWORKER for Best Film, the Shanghai International Film Festival gave
a nomination for Best Animation Film, a nomination for Best Fiction
from the Sao Paulo International Film festival and Best Feature Film
from the Valladolid International Film Festival. The Toronto Reel Asian
International Film Festival awarded Best First Feature Award to Usman
Riaz and winner of the Asian World Film Festival for the Audience Award.
THE GLASSWORKER is a stunning piece of animation with a story that touches on so many themes that include love, family, war, art, survival and the missteps of life. From the opening moments of the film, it becomes clear that the story is going to take us on an epic adventure but it is so much more than that. Usman Riaz, has taken the animation and storytelling up another notch and it is visually perfect.
The characters are dealing with the stressors of war from participating to being affected and the emotions are palpable. In the midst of the chaos, two young people with talent beyond measure, find each other. Even when the adults around them are at constant odds, even when classmates try to stir up trouble treating Vincent poorly, these two young people find moments of happiness. All of this surrounded by such richness of color on the screen that it just takes the senses on an epic journey.
The cast adds another layer to the story lending their vocals to bring the characters to life. Vincent is a charming young man but holds back his feelings where as Alliz has no problem speaking up. The voice actors brought that and the characters become more believable and relatable. What Mano Animations Studios and Riaz have created is brilliance and a pure magical experience.
Words like endearing, relevant, humane, passionate and so many more express the emotions that the viewer is going to experience and it all is a marvelous thing. The animation is nothing short of superb and breathtaking!
In the end – it is a love that cannot be broken!
