Nate from Lowell, MA highlights the reality that no institutions preserve, archive, and research lost and hidden popular music in Cambodia, which is not recognized as part of the country’s cultural heritage. Furthermore, during the genocide committed by the Khmer Rouge from 1975 to 1979, an entire generation of musicians was killed, along with an estimated two million people.

The documentary follows the story of Nate Hun, born in Lowell, MA, who began collecting and preserving prewar Cambodian popular music as a child. He grew up to become an expert on Cambodian rock as a collector of records, tapes, and memorabilia of the time period. He is also at the heart of the preservation of Cambodian popular music and an important figure among the Cambodian refugees living in Lowell, MA.

The film has been previously screened at the Cambodian Town Film Festival in Long Beach, CA, the Roma Cinema DOC in Rome, Italy, and the Barcelona Planet Film Festival in Barcelona, Spain. It has also been featured at the Move Me Productions Belgium Short Film Festival in Antwerp, Belgium and at the Shorts Off Film Festival in Llanelli, U.K. The film has received nominations for best documentary and international short film accolades, including: the iChill film Fest in the Philippines; the Short to the Point in Bucharest, Romania; and the Moving Pictures Festival in Antwerp, Belgium.