Pakistan’s first hand-drawn animated feature, The Glassworker, written and directed by Usman Riaz, has been officially selected for the animated feature category at the 97th Academy Awards.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the list of eligible contenders on Thursday, which includes 31 animated features, 169 documentaries, and 85 international films. This marks a historic milestone for Pakistan as The Glassworker becomes the country’s first animated submission to the Oscars, produced by Geo Films in collaboration with Mano Animation Studios.
Competing with Global Giants
In the animated feature category, The Glassworker will face tough competition from industry heavyweights such as Pixar’s Inside Out 2, DreamWorks’ Kung Fu Panda 4 and The Wild Robot, Despicable Me 4, and the Japanese entry Kensuke’s Kingdom.
The film, which took a decade to create, has been lauded for its storytelling, cinematography, music, art, and voice-over performances. It follows the journey of a young boy, Vincent, and his father, Tomas, who run a fine glass workshop. Their lives are upended by an impending war, forcing them to confront their unwilling involvement in the conflict.
A Global Celebration of Cinema
Earlier, The Glassworker was also selected for the International Feature Film category at the 2025 Oscars, alongside submissions like India’s Laapata Ladies by Kiran Rao and Palestine’s From Ground Zero. Other notable entries include France’s Emilia Pérez, Germany’s The Seed of the Sacred Fig, and Brazil’s I’m Still Here.
The competition promises to be fierce, with final shortlists set to be revealed on December 17, 2024, followed by the announcement of Oscar nominations on January 23, 2025.
This landmark achievement for The Glassworker not only celebrates the film’s artistic brilliance but also places Pakistan firmly on the global cinematic map.
