UK-France production stars Michelle Yeoh (pictured) as Nobel winner Aung San Suu Kyi.

Luc Besson is in the middle of his shoot for The Lady, an epic love story about the heroine of Burma’s democracy movement.

Producers are Virginie Besson-Silla for EuropaCorp and UK-based Andy Harries of Left Bank Pictures. France 2 Cinema is also on board.

Michelle Yeoh plays Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi while David Thewlis plays her husband Michael Aris. The pair’s love endures despite her house arrest for almost 15 years.

The filmmakers describe the project as “a story of devotion and human understanding set against a background of political turmoil which continues today.”

Rebecca Frayn wrote the script over a three-year period, interviewing key figures in Aung San Suu Kyi’s life. The political leader was finally released from house arrest in Burma in November 2010.

The film started shooting in Thailand and Burma on October 18, and will continue in the UK and France until Jan 18. The DoP is Thierry Arbogast.

A 2011 theatrical release is planned.

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