Khmer Rise Up : the documentary behind a grassroots hip-hop movement in Phnom Penh
- Editorial team
- 1 hour ago
- 3 min read
A documentary traces the origins of Khmer Rise Up, an artistic and community-driven event pulled together in just ten days in Phnom Penh in late 2024, born out of the friendship between Zakary 'Zach' Peang and his partner in crime Shin, and their encounter with the Tiny Toones association.
An idea born over dinner
It all began, they say, with a New Year's dinner between two friends, Zach and Shin, who had never travelled together before. The idea of a trip to Cambodia came up almost immediately, back to the land of their roots. But for Zach, going back just to relax was out of the question: he wanted to build something meaningful there, connected to Tiny Toones, an association close to his heart.
Ten days to build it all
Out of that conversation came Khmer Rise Up, an event conceived as both an artistic showcase and a fundraising platform. The challenge was steep: gather talent, mobilise volunteers and draw a crowd in barely ten days. The first edition took place on 28 December 2024 at the Pontoon Club in Phnom Penh, in a genuine race against the clock.
Tiny Toones, a home for Cambodian youth
Each edition of Khmer Rise Up is designed to support a grassroots association. In 2024, that association was Tiny Toones: a one-of-a-kind centre in Phnom Penh that takes in children from disadvantaged backgrounds, some of them left largely to fend for themselves. Founded in 2005 by former street dancer Tuy 'KK' Sobil, Tiny Toones gives them a framework through dance, hip-hop and writing, as well as education — learning to read, write, express themselves, and simply exist.
The event's name is itself a deliberate play on words: Khmer, to root the project in Cambodian culture, and Rise Up, a nod to Time to Rise, a track by artist Vanda. In Khmer, the word 'krew' means both 'group' and 'master' — a duality that captures the spirit of the project, conceived as a space for passing things on, where everyone is at once student and future teacher.
Encounters that leave a mark
The documentary shows how it all started on a rooftop, with music playing, as Zach and Shin danced for themselves before curious neighbourhood kids gradually drew closer and began copying their moves. An impromptu workshop took shape from there, driven by a simple conviction: dance is a universal language that erases differences of age, gender or background.
Zach also speaks with striking honesty about going through periods of depression himself, and finds in these moments of dance and connection a precious escape — for himself and for those he meets. The film also revisits a memorable encounter with tuk-tuk drivers, moved simply to be listened to about the hardships of their daily lives, and the impromptu filming of a Bollywood-style clip in the lively streets of a Phnom Penh neighbourhood.
The big day: emotion and surprises
The documentary also follows the final preparations at the Pontoon Club — laying the dance floor, setting up a backstage space for the dancers — before the event itself: breakdance battles, a talent contest, and an open stage for singers and musicians. Among the standout moments: a performance by Elina Love, a 12-year-old singer and dancer already spotted by South Korean label YG Entertainment, and one by contemporary dancer Chloé, praised for reinventing pop and hip-hop tracks on stage.
Through it all, the documentary tells less the story of an event than a human adventure: that of two friends who set out, in just ten days, to build something useful for Cambodia — and for Tiny Toones, whose work continues, day after day, to give Cambodian youth the means to rise back up.
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