01
THE FILM
BORN FROM WATER.
SOLD INTO DARKNESS.
In the heart of Cambodia, where monsoon rains flood golden rice fields and rivers whisper ancient secrets, a boy is born with an otherworldly bond to water. His name is Rithy—but the world will come to know him as Skinny Fish.
A child of the flood, Rithy moves through rivers like breath through lungs. To him, water is freedom. Water is home.
But when illness claws at his family’s door, his gift becomes his sentence.
Sold like cargo by a man whose cruelty cuts deeper than the sea, Rithy is ripped from the river that named him—and cast into a nightmare on the coast.
There, the ocean is no sanctuary.
It is a tomb.
Forced to dive where no child should go, Rithy descends into crushing blackness—lungs burning, light fading—harvesting treasures for masters who see only profit, not the soul sinking below.
Each breath is stolen.
Each dive, a step closer to vanishing.
Skinny Fish is not just animation.
It is a Cambodian epic in motion—woven from folklore, forged in pain, and painted with the defiant hope of a people who turn suffering into art.
This is the story of a boy who was told he was nothing—too small, too poor, too strange—yet dared to stir the deepest waters of them all.
From the sacred rivers of the Mekong…
to the abyss where light forgets to reach…
his journey will drown you—and resurrect you.
@SkinnyFish.TheFilm
#ProudlyKhmer
Produced by Phare Ponleu Selpak
& Phare Creative Studio
Battambang, Cambodia
02
THE STUDIO
Cambodian Stories. Global Impact. Art with a Conscience.
Phare Creative Studio is a Cambodian-owned animation and multimedia production studio based in Battambang, Cambodia, where art, activism, and innovation converge to form a unique social enterprise model. This convergence defines the studio's purpose: to extend storytelling beyond commercial boundaries and harness creative media as a force for social change.
With over 16 years of experience, the studio specialises in animation, film, illustration, graphic design, and sound production—all crafted to raise awareness and amplify underrepresented voices across Southeast Asia and beyond. Every project directly supports Phare Ponleu Selpak, the nonprofit organisation that has transformed the lives of thousands of marginalised Cambodian youth through professional arts training since 1996. Guided by the promise "Change lives through the Arts," the studio's 18-member creative crew—most of whom are alumni of Phare's Visual and Applied Arts School—embodies this vision daily, ensuring that artistic excellence and social impact remain inseparable.
Phare Creative Studio partners with leading global organisations—including UNDP, UNICEF, WHO, FAO, WaterAid, Oxfam, and the World Food Programme—to design human-centred communication strategies, social and behaviour change campaigns (SBCC), and impact-driven visual narratives rooted in deep cultural understanding and community insight.
Skinny Fish: A Landmark in Cambodian Animation
At the heart of the studio's artistic evolution stands Skinny Fish—Phare's first feature-length animated film and a landmark production in Cambodian cinema. More than a film, Skinny Fish embodies the studio's soul: a visually stunning, emotionally powerful story born from the Mekong, shaped by trauma and hope, and brought to life by Khmer artists telling Khmer stories.
This 92-minute animated odyssey marks a historic moment—not just for Phare, but for Cambodia's creative future—proving that world-class animation can emerge from Battambang, carry national identity, and resonate globally.
From grassroots advocacy to cinematic milestones like Skinny Fish, Phare Creative Studio remains committed to one truth:
Art is not a luxury—it's a lifeline. And in Cambodia, it's changing everything.
03
THE VISION
To bring the rich culture and artistic excellence of Cambodia to the global stage through captivating storytelling and innovative animation.
Phare Creative Studio operates on the belief that every great story plants the seed for the next. Its mission is to showcase Cambodia's rich culture and artistic excellence to global audiences through cutting-edge animation—while nurturing the artists who will carry this legacy forward. With Skinny Fish as its foundation, the studio positions itself as a springboard for the international projects and long-form animated films that Cambodia's rising creators will bring to life. The organisation envisions a world where Cambodian artistry earns global recognition, communities are transformed through creative expression, and a new generation of storytellers builds a lasting cinematic legacy from the heart of Cambodia.