Lai Yuqing, Promising Young Director of ‘Whisperings of the Moon’, Dies at 23

Lai Yuqing, a 23-year-old Chinese film director whose work was beginning to attract international attention, has died in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

She sustained critical injuries after a fall from a private residence on December 30, and died in hospital on January 2, 2026. Cambodian authorities are investigating the circumstances of her death.

Born in Tianjin, China, Lai studied film and art abroad, including in the United States, and began building a reputation as a gifted young director and screenwriter.

Her feature-length directorial debut Whisperings of the Moon, a queer romance set in Phnom Penh, premiered in the A Window on Asian Cinema section at the 2025 Busan International Film Festival in South Korea, where it attracted praise for its themes of identity and connection across cultures.

In addition to her feature work, Lai directed and wrote short films that screened at international festivals. One of her earlier works, Love Is a Book, received a special jury mention at the Busan International Short Film Festival in 2024 and her more recent work Two Suns made its premiere in LA at Outfest NEXT. In an Instagram post she wrote, “Two Suns represents a meaningful milestone in my life. These past three years have brought many experiences for all of us, yet through it all, we’ve held onto love.”

Lai’s sudden death has shocked friends, collaborators and observers across the film community. Cambodian police took two acquaintances into custody to assist with the investigation, and authorities are reviewing CCTV footage from the residence where she fell.