Dazzler Media has announced the UK and Ireland release date for The Glassworker, the first hand-drawn animated feature film produced in Pakistan. The film will land exclusively in cinemas on 19 September 2025.
The Glassworker marks the feature debut of Usman Riaz, who wrote and directed the project. Studio Ghibli and Studio Ponoc veteran, Geoffrey Wexler, produced the film. Wexler has experience producing foreign-language films for an English-speaking audience. He previously worked on the English-language versions of Only Yesterday and The Wind Rises.
Set in a coastal town on the brink of war, the film follows apprentice glassblower Vincent, who works alongside his pacifist father, Tomas. When a stern army colonel and his daughter Alliz, a gifted violinist, arrive, Vincent’s quiet life is disrupted in more ways than one. As Vincent and Alliz’s bond deepens, family loyalties, national pride, and the looming threat of conflict put their relationship and futures to the test.
The film was Pakistan’s official entry for Best International Feature Film at the 2025 Academy Awards.
Sacha Dhawan will voice the English-language version of Vincent, originally voiced by Pakistani YouTuber Taimoor Salahuddin (also known as Mooroo). Dhawan is best known for playing Akthar in The History Boys and The Master on BBC’s Doctor Who. Art Malik, a BAFTA nominee for his role in The Jewel in the Crown in 1984, plays Vincent’s father.
Despite missing out on an Oscar nomination, The Glassworker has received plenty of critical acclaim. Next Best Picture called it “easily the best animated film of the year”. Variety noted it “feels at once familiar and fresh,” while drawing favourable comparisons to Studio Ghibli. The Guardian commended the film’s attention to detail, suggesting the animators handle every hand-drawn frame with utmost care.
The Glassworker releases in cinemas on September 19, 2025.
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