Usman Riaz by no means got down to make historical past; he merely needed to sketch. His enterprise started a decade in the past, not with grandiose goals however with a easy basis — a second of inspiration that set in movement a undertaking of unprecedented scope for Pakistan. Now, a decade after that first sketch, he’s carried out extra than simply fill a number of sketchbooks. He’s crafted Pakistan’s first hand-drawn animated function movie, The Glassworker, a surprising ode to the artwork that’s drawing comparisons to Studio Ghibli’s most interesting.
Beginning out as a musician, Usman had a childhood obsession with animated cinema. Little did he know that it was the exact same fascination with these hand-drawn worlds that might ultimately propel him to Annecy — his debut functionpremiering on the Worldwide Animation Movie Competition this 12 months, earlier than charming Pakistani audiences again dwelling with its theatrical launch in July.
Set in a fantastical world that nonetheless feels grounded in actuality, The Glassworker tells the story of Vincent, a younger glassblower, and Alliz, a violinist, whose friendship is examined by the worlds they arrive from. The narrative, replete with tensions of nationalism, class struggles, and the pursuit of artwork within the face of adversity, rings sonorous with the challenges Usman confronted rising up in post-9/11 Pakistan.
However The Glassworker can also be a love letter — to the hand-drawn animations of yesteryears and to the masterful storytelling of seasoned anime legends. Having based Pakistan’s first hand-drawn animation studio — Mano Animation Studios — Usman’s method to his craft has been deeply private and painstakingly meticulous. He has beforehand likened the movie to a “shifting portray,” talking to the hand-drawn course of that distinguishes it from computer-generated fare.
Creating such a movie in a rustic the place the animation business remains to be in its infancy was no small feat. With no authorities help and little infrastructure, Usman’s journey was a labor of affection, and a little bit of insanity. In any case, who else would spend ten years hand-drawing a function movie in a rustic nearly fully devoid of the craft?
But, regardless of the turbulence, Usman appears to have crafted one thing actually particular. Right here, we discuss his exceptional journey behind The Glassworker, exploring the triumphs and tribulations of placing Pakistan on the map and bringing his imaginative and prescient to life.
Excerpts from an interview:
Ten years in the past, you started sketching what would change into Pakistan’s first hand-drawn animated function. Can you’re taking us again to that second? What was it about that preliminary sketch that made you imagine it may evolve into one thing so historic?
Usman: I by no means got down to do something historic. Initially, I simply needed to make a stupendous movie like those my heroes made and that impressed me as a toddler. Over time, I realised nobody had ever tried to make a hand-drawn movie like this in Pakistan. The historic significance hit me years into the method, however my aim remained the identical: to create one thing that might transfer folks.
You’ve beforehand described the movie as a love letter to Studio Ghibli, and also you’ve cited anime legends like Miyazaki, Shinkai, and Satoshi Kon as inspirations. How did you strike that stability between paying homage to your inspirations whereas creating one thing distinct?
Usman: I knew we may depict issues on this animation model that hadn’t been seen earlier than, particularly inside a Pakistani context. The character designs and the general aesthetic leaned closely into my inspirations, but it surely wasn’t simply that. After all, I put on my inspirations on my sleeve; I like Studio Ghibli, Hayao Miyazaki, Mamoru Hosoda, Satoshi Kon, and Makoto Shinkai.
Shinkai, specifically, has been an enormous affect on me. I’ve been following his work since I noticed Voices of a Distant Star, which blew my thoughts as a child. His work is far more of a cerebral expertise than only a typical mecha combat anime. I’ve been following his profession carefully, and I’m glad his work gained widespread recognition with Your Title. However for me, his early works like The Place Promised in Our Early Days and 5 Centimeters per Second have been massively influential.
Miyazaki’s The Wind Rises was the most important inspiration for The Glassworker. His work transcends borders, and I needed to remain true to what I take pleasure in watching. We put that into the movie with out attempting too exhausting to make an announcement about our influences. It was about expressing my love for these creators and contributing to the world of animated movies.
From the early footage of the movie, it appears to be set in a fantastical world whereas tackling very actual and private themes. How did your experiences rising up in Pakistan affect these themes?
Usman: Probably the most impactful occasion in my childhood was 9/11. The world modified after that. There was all the time this underlying sense of tension and stress about what was taking place on this planet round us — particularly in our area, with the strain between India and Pakistan and the broader conflicts involving America and the Center East. It was troubling rising up, figuring out that battle may get away at any second.
As a toddler, you don’t absolutely perceive this stuff; you simply preserve doing what you’re doing and discover causes to maintain shifting ahead. However it does have an effect on you. As I bought older, I needed to seize that feeling on this movie — what it means to be a artistic particular person, an artist, in tumultuous instances. That’s primarily what The Glassworker is about. The messaging within the movie is closely anti-war. I imagine battle just isn’t the reply to something. Finally, it’s the folks caught within the battle that suffer, no matter who the victor is. Capturing that sentiment was vital to me, and I needed to indicate the brutality of battle. Having by no means skilled battle myself however witnessing it round me, I felt compelled to touch upon it.
Aside from the animation itself, it looks as if the music additionally performs an integral half within the movie. I’ve had the possibility to hearken to the album, and your work with Carmine DeFlorio is spectacular. How did your background in music, significantly as a violinist, affect the composition of the rating?
Usman: As a result of I’ve been drawing, portray, and writing music since I used to be younger, the way in which I approached The Glassworker was lots of enjoyable. I’d storyboard the film, after which I’d get an concept for a musical motif or cue for a scene. My piano was proper behind my sketching desk, so I’d draw, then flip round and write one thing, then flip again and draw once more. Typically, the music would information the visuals somewhat than the opposite manner round. It was an fascinating expertise, developing with the narrative whereas drawing and writing concurrently.
Music performed an enormous half within the creation course of. The movie is about artwork — Vincent is a glassblower, and Alize is a musician — so music is deeply intertwined with the story. Each characters are points of my character, and exploring what it means to be each sorts of folks within the setting of the movie was fascinating.
It’s fascinating how Miyazaki has influenced your craft by way of visuals. Did Joe Hisaishi’s music additionally affect your artistic course of whereas writing the rating?
Usman: Joe Hisaishi’s affect is current in my earlier work, however for The Glassworker, I aimed for one thing totally different. Whereas we share a love for piano, I drew extra from Philip Glass and classical Hollywood composers, significantly from the Nineteen Thirties to Fifties. One of many largest influences on the rating and the story was Dr. Zhivago, particularly Lara’s Theme.
‘The Glassworker’ has been a decade-long ardour undertaking. What have been a number of the largest obstacles you confronted in bringing this imaginative and prescient to life, and the way did you retain pushing ahead when the percentages appeared stacked in opposition to you?
Usman: The toughest half was convincing those that this undertaking was price their money and time. My household and a few buyers from California helped finance the movie, however holding everybody motivated was difficult. My spouse, Mariam, who’s the co-founder of the studio, and my cousin, Khizer, the CEO, have been an enormous assist, however the duty in the end rested on my shoulders.
We had the same old movie-making complications, however we additionally confronted the added issue of constructing the movie in Pakistan, the place there’s no business or infrastructure for hand-drawn animation. The animation tradition right here is extra geared in the direction of CG and video video games, so doing one thing like this for the primary time was difficult. We constructed the studio from scratch, skilled the group, and launched a Kickstarter marketing campaign to get issues rolling. It took years of dedication, and by 2019, after we lastly began making the film, I needed to discover new power to push ahead. It was extremely troublesome, however we made it.
The movie simply screened at Annecy. What was the reception like? And are there any future festivals or occasions the place you hope the movie will probably be showcased?
Usman: Our world premiere on the Annecy Worldwide Animation Movie Competition was an enormous honour, particularly since no Pakistani movie had ever been a part of the official competitors. Annecy was wonderful as a result of it’s essentially the most educated animation viewers that can ever see the film. Everybody within the viewers was an animator or an artist who understood how a lot work went into creating it. I additionally simply bought again from the Hiroshima Animation Competition in Japan, the place the movie was once more a part of the official competitors, and I bought to indicate it to a few of my heroes, which was wonderful.
Are you in contact with the anime scene in Pakistan? In India, there’s been a marked enhance in anime consumption and a really overt love for animation over the previous decade. How do you see ‘The Glassworker’ influencing the way forward for animation and anime in Pakistan?
Usman: Actually, I don’t see it altering the business a lot as a result of tasks like this are troublesome to execute. The primary hurdle is financing. Nonetheless, I hope the movie evokes others to pursue their passions with dedication. There’s an awesome Walt Disney quote I prefer to paraphrase: “We don’t make motion pictures to earn cash; we earn cash to make extra motion pictures.”
I simply needed to do good work, and if this enables me to make extra, I’d love to try this. Proper now, I’m exhausted. I used to be 23 once I began this; I’m 33 now. It’s been a really lengthy journey, so I wish to take it straightforward for a bit and deal with releasing the movie in additional territories. I’ve lots of concepts I wish to probe for future tasks, and I hope I get the chance to take action.
Would you ever take into account a cross-border collaboration with extra South Asian voices to carry extra South Asian tales to life?
Usman: Undoubtedly, I’d like to. If a chance presents itself, that might be wonderful. One factor that shocked me in regards to the English trailer is that, once I checked the YouTube analytics, I discovered that a lot of the views — 1. 1 million to date — are from the USA. The second most views are from India, with Pakistan coming in third. The help this movie has acquired from India has been humbling, and I’d like to launch the movie there. I do know the political scenario between the 2 nations makes it troublesome, but when there’s any technique to launch the movie in India, if there’s a technique to get the movie to the individuals who wish to see it, I’ll do no matter it takes.
Printed – September 10, 2024 06:22 pm IST