Discover more about The Glassworker, Pakistan’s first hand-drawn animated film, which just released a few days ago, in this FUCHSIA exclusive!
Pakistan’s film industry is on the cusp of a new era, and The Glassworker is leading the charge. This groundbreaking animated feature film marks a significant milestone as the country’s first-ever hand-drawn animated production. A labor of love and an evidence of the burgeoning talent within Pakistan’s creative landscape.
To gain deeper insights into the creation of this extraordinary film, we had the privilege of speaking with its visionary director, Usman Riaz. With a passion for storytelling and a dedication to pushing the boundaries of animation, Usman shares his journey of bringing The Glassworker to life. From the initial spark of inspiration to the challenges and triumphs of the filmmaking process, Usman offers a candid and captivating look behind the scenes.
Get to know more about the ideas behind the movie, its importance to our culture, and what the filmmaker hopes to achieve as you read this FUCHSIA exclusive with the person who made The Glassworker, Usman Riaz!
Is there an Usman Riaz hidden in the characters…which one is he? And a character close to your heart?
Usman Riaz: “I would say both the main characters are aspects of my personality, because you can only draw from what you know yourself, what you know about the world. So there’s the craftsman side in Vincent’s character, and then there’s the musician side in Alize’s character. Both are aspects of my personality, and yeah, when the two of them talk, it’s like I’m having a debate with myself, so it’s interesting.”
Why do we emphasize a standard form of Urdu as correct, despite the diversity of accents and regional variations? Was it your intention to prioritize a more authentic version of Urdu over these different ways of speaking?
Usman Riaz: “Yes, there are different accents in the film, but we focused on keeping the language consistent. Like the accent we chose in English was to date the film at a particular time period because Hollywood ki wajah se institutionalized ho gaya hai ki agar puraane British accents istamaal karein and it has that old timely period piece. Tau Urdu ke saath humne wo hi cheez karne hi koshish ki to emphasize that it’s not current, present day. To emphasize that it is a period piece and the kind of Urdu we used in it was just to emphasize that. So, it was a creative choice rather than something we enforced on people.”
Usman’s answer highlights that the choice of accent and language in the film was a deliberate creative decision to reflect a specific time period, rather than an enforcement of linguistic norms.
Can you share a memorable reaction or piece of feedback you received, either from within the industry or globally, when you first filmed The Glassworker? Is there a particular response you think fans should know about?
Usman Riaz: “Best reaction we got, which is at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival. Again, it was a huge honor to be at that festival. Our film was one of 11 films picked from all over the world to be showcased in official competitions. And I thought with all these amazing films, who will come see The Glassworker? But all five screenings were sold out, which I am supremely grateful for. And I’ll never forget when people were leaving the theater, they were arguing about what the ending meant. And everyone was just so engrossed by the story that the ending, everybody had their own interpretation of it, which I loved, because people were treating it like a movie. People were treating it like a piece of literature that can have different interpretations. That was a huge moment where people didn’t feel sorry for us that this film was made in Pakistan. People treated it like a movie that they were engrossed by and could actually talk about after the movie was over.”
A proud moment for all of us, proud Pakistanis!
What should parents know about supporting a gifted child who is deeply passionate about their interests? Based on your experience, what did your parents do right in supporting you?
Usman Riaz: “My parents, I’m very very grateful, were always extremely supportive about what I was doing and they weren’t heavily involved in what I was doing. My father always says to me that whatever you want to do, do it with all your heart and move forward. So keeping that philosophy in mind is how I did everything that I have done and everything that I am doing. I think not being so emotionally involved in what their children are doing is a big, big help because I was able to explore and do whatever I wanted to do without thinking I’m disappointing someone or they have high expectations of me. I never felt any of that. What I made was from myself and my own little world and now I’m getting to share it with everybody else but I think just being less involved is the best way to help your child grow. I’m speaking from my experience, everybody’s different. They never were involved, they just were extremely supportive throughout. And I know I’m very lucky to have a family like that.”
As a highly creative individual, now that you can showcase your labor of love to the world, do you feel the need for commercial success to prove yourself to the doubters, or has it always been about the creation and hard work rather than the money?
Usman Riaz: “I do believe commercial success is important. There’s a great quote from Walt Disney that I paraphrase, which is, he said, we don’t make movies to make money, we make movies to make money to make more movies. So, the only type of success that I’m looking for is one that will enable us to keep making more good work. That’s the most important part, and that’s the philosophy that I have maintained. Regardless how other people feel about it, I feel it is important to have some level of commercial success to justify the work that we are doing. But I have faith that because we’ve made a product that is good, that it will find its audience. I have faith in that.”
This answer shows Usman’s commitment to the art of creation and the belief that commercial success is a means to continue producing quality work.
After screening your film at Annecy, did you find that it opened up new opportunities? Did that experience help propel you onto a bigger stage?
Usman Riaz: “Annecy was a huge honor because everybody in the animation industry respects their curation team. So for our film to be one of the films that they’re saying is a good film, please come watch this, it’s part of official competition, was huge. Because for perspective, yeh meri pehli movie thi. Yeh meri pehli animated film hai as a director. For it to be amongst people who heard fourth, fifth film is a huge honor. And Mano Animation Studios, it’s the first hands-on animation studio in Pakistan for our first feature film to be there was absolutely huge. And the opportunities that came out of Annecy, yeah, definitely. Annecy was a big platform to showcase the film for the first time.”
Did you experience teary-eyed moments at the event where you felt overwhelmed by the success? Was there a particular moment that left you in awe of what you had achieved?
Usman Riaz: “The first, Annecy pe nahi hua, the first real teary eyed moment I had with The Glassworkers was when I watched it in a Pakistani cinema as a test for the first time. Because I was like, … it’s done. That was the moment where it hit me.”
The Glassworker released nationwide on 26th of July, 2024. If you haven’t watched it yet, what are you even waiting for?
