‘Wrinkles’ Producer Manuel Cristobal Boards Mano Animation Studios’ Feature Project ‘The Glassworker’ (EXCLUSIVE)
Emiliano De Pablos After a two-and-a half year hiatus, renowned Spanish producer Manuel Cristobal has returned to toon production, joining the team behind animated feature project “The Glassworker,” directed by Usman Riaz, and created by Pakistan-based Mano Animation Studios. “The Glassworker” marks the first hand-drawn animated feature from Pakistan. Scheduled for a 2023 release, the project is said to be in the running for a berth at this year’s Annecy Work in Progress showcase, a prestige selection which would earn the title considerable international profile. Targeting family audiences, the film is set in a location loosely inspired by Pakistan, telling the story of young Vincent and his father Tomas, who run the finest glass workshop in the country and find their lives upended by an approaching 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.