Whisperings of the Moon Director Tragically Passes Away at 23

Lai Yuqing, the writer-director of the 2025 romance film Whisperings of the Moon, has tragically passed away at the age of 23.

The news of Yuqing’s passing was confirmed by Nimbus Films and Inwave Films in a post on Instagram. While no official cause was released, the statement notes that Yuqing passed away due to “an incident” in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and that the case is “still under investigation” as of now, according to a statement given to Variety.

“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,” reads the statement. “Yuqing’s talent lives on in her images, in the way she looked at the world: with rare sensitivity and honesty, marked by a calm, luminous intensity,” Nimbus and Inwave said. “In ‘Whisperings of the Moon,’ as in the other work she left behind, she was already shaping intimate, quietly powerful worlds, attentive to the smallest gestures and to the silences between people. A singular voice was just beginning to emerge.”

Yuqing was born in Tianjin, China, and studied across the world, including in places like New York, Los Angeles, and Toronto. Her feature debut was 2025’s queer romance film Whisperings of the Moon, and is set in Phnom Penh. The story follows a theater actor who returns home and connects with a former love following the death of their father, and chronicles the issues their relationship faces in all facets.

Outside of the film, Yuqing had also made several short films, including 2024’s Two Suns and Love Is a Book. ComingSoon sends its condolences to the family and friends of Yuqing.