Cambodia's 1st Animated Feature | Phare's 40th Year

Help bring Skinny Fish—Cambodia's first entirely Cambodian-made animated feature—to the world. In Phare Ponleu Selpak's 40th anniversary year (2026), your donation directly supports:

• Production of the film by Phare Creative Studio artists
• Scholarships for young Khmer artists training on the project
• Preservation of authentic Cambodian storytelling for global audiences

This is more than a film—it's the next chapter in Phare's 40-year mission to rebuild Cambodia's creative soul.

What is Skinny Fish?

Set against the stark beauty of rural Cambodia and the grim underbelly of South East Asia's fishing industry, our story follows Rithy, a gifted young swimmer lured from his village with promises of work and wages to support his ailing mother.

Instead, he's trapped in a system of deception and exploitation, stripped of his name and reduced to "Skinny Fish"—a valuable but disposable asset. Guided only by his mother's river stone amulet and an unbroken promise to return, Rithy's journey becomes a testament to survival, dignity, and the quiet courage it takes to reclaim one's humanity in a world that treats the vulnerable as currency.

The film is an extension of Phare's enduring legacy. It honors real stories woven into the fabric of our community, refusing to let them fade. There is a haunting resonance between the script and reality: the narrative unknowingly paralleled the life of a Phare artist who survived forced labor on a fishing boat. This connection underscores the film's authenticity. Produced by the students and alumni of Phare Creative Studio, the project treats animation as a vessel for memory. Every frame honors our past. Every character carries a story of Khmer resilience.

2026 will mark 40 years since the inception of art classes at Site 2 refugee camp—the origin point of Phare's journey. This anniversary celebrates decades of creativity defining a nation's recovery. Producing Skinny Fish during this milestone year transforms the film into a symbolic capstone of that history. We have completed the concept art, initial designs, and a proof-of-concept teaser, and are well underway with our preproduction phase. Now, we seek partners dedicated to the arts to help us create the feature. Support the production of a film that ensures these stories endure.

PS As a special thanks for your support, donate $50 or more, and we'll add your name to our Wall of Gratitude—featured on our website—and list you as a VIP Backer in the film's credits (If you prefer to remain anonymous, just email skinnyfish@pharestudio.org and let us know).

→ Learn more: skinnyfishfilm.com | pharestudio.org