Who was Lai Yuqing? All about ‘Whispers of the Moon’ director who died at 23

Director Lai Yuqing has passed away in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, at 23.

Born in Tianjin, China, the young creator was best known for writing and directing the queer love story Whisperings of the Moon. Nimbus Films and Inwave Films, who backed the acclaimed film, said in a statement,

“We are deeply saddened to share that filmmaker Lai Yuqing, writer-director of ‘Whisperings of the Moon,’ with whom we had the privilege of working, has left us at the age of 23.”

The statement further read that she, "passed away due to an incident on Dec. 30, 2025. The case is still under investigation and her family is at Phnom Penh preparing her funeral as well as working closely with local authorities. Details of the incident haven’t been released yet but her family will make an official announcement once the case is resolved.”

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Lai Yuqing studied in New York, Los Angeles, and Toronto. Whisperings of the Moon was her debut film and was selected for the 30th Busan International Film Festival in 2025. The film was produced by Esther Li, Siddartha Jatla, and Lily Yang and set in Phnom Penh, where the young director passed away.

Lai's other works include the short films Two Suns and Love Is a Book, both of which came out in 2024. In fact, Whisperings of the Moon came straight out of Love Is a Book. The international sales of the film were handled by Inwave Films.

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