TL;DR

• Lai Yuqing, the 23-year-old queer director of Whisperings of the Moon, has died in Phnom Penh.
• Production companies confirm the death and say the case is under investigation.
• Lai was a rising queer filmmaking talent known for tender, intimate storytelling.
• Their debut feature premiered at Busan International Film Festival in 2025.
• Tributes highlight Lai’s “rare sensitivity” and the enormous promise of their emerging voice.

Queer Filmmaker Lai Yuqing, Director of Whisperings of the Moon, Dies Aged 23 in Cambodia

The film world is mourning the loss of Lai Yuqing — the 23-year-old queer writer-director behind 2025’s acclaimed drama Whisperings of the Moon — who has died in an “incident” in Cambodia.

The young filmmaker, who used she/they pronouns, passed away on 30 December in Phnom Penh, production companies Nimbus Films and Inwave Films confirmed in a joint statement. Authorities have not released details, and the “case is still under investigation,” with Lai’s family now in Cambodia preparing funeral arrangements.

“We are deeply saddened to share that filmmaker Lai Yuqing… has left us at the age of 23,” the statement read, praising Lai as a rare creative force whose work was “marked by a calm, luminous intensity.”

A visionary voice already emerging

Born in Tianjin, Lai quickly became a rising star in queer cinema with their short films Two Suns (2024) and Love Is a Book (2025). But it was Whisperings of the Moon, their intimate Khmer- and English-language feature debut, that cemented their reputation as a filmmaker to watch.

The film follows two former lovers — actress Nisay and her ex, Thida — who reconnect after a death in the family. Onstage, their affection is allowed to bloom; offstage, they navigate painful realities, tender goodbyes and the ache of unresolved love.

On Instagram, Lai described the film as one rooted deeply in personal truths.
“It carries the courage we hold onto – to be honest, to create, and to love – regardless of the outcome,” they wrote.

The film was selected for the 30th Busan International Film Festival in late 2025, where critics highlighted its quiet emotional power and delicacy.

Art rooted in sensitivity and queer storytelling

Nimbus and Inwave Films honoured Lai’s artistic eye, noting that she “looked at the world with rare sensitivity and honesty,” attentive to “silences between people” and the subtle emotional shifts often overlooked in mainstream cinema.

They added that the industry has lost “a singular voice… just beginning to emerge.”

Alongside directing, Lai was also an actor and musician. She appeared in the 2024 short Notes of a Crocodile, which screened at the Toronto International Film Festival.

A devastating loss for queer cinema

Lai’s death at such a young age is a profound loss — not just for Asian queer filmmaking, but for all audiences drawn to cinema that is tender, introspective and deeply human.

Her work centred queer love with gentleness, complexity, and vulnerability — qualities that resonated strongly with younger LGBTQ+ viewers who rarely see themselves depicted with such care.

Nimbus and Inwave Films have pledged to continue supporting Whisperings of the Moon following her passing, ensuring Lai’s final work reaches the audience it deserves.