Oscar-winning Chilean director Sebastián Lelio dies aged 52
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Sebastián Lelio, the Argentine-born Chilean director who won an Oscar for A Fantastic Woman, died on Friday 6 November at 52. His partner announced the death on Instagram and cited health reasons without giving a cause.
Sebastián Lelio, the Chilean filmmaker whose drama A Fantastic Woman (Una mujer fantástica) won an Oscar and a Silver Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival, died on Friday 6 November at the age of 52.
His partner, Amalia Kassai, announced his death on Instagram. She cited health reasons and did not specify a cause. The announcement said his memory "will remain forever among us" and described him as a beautiful person who contributed to Chilean culture in great moments of its history. Chilean media report that he died at his home in Las Condes, Santiago.
Lelio was born in Argentina and raised in Chile. He first gained international recognition with his fourth film, Gloria (2013), for which lead actor Paulina García received the Silver Bear for Best Actress at the Berlinale.
A Fantastic Woman followed in 2017 and cemented his reputation. It starred trans actress Daniela Vega as a waitress and nightclub singer whose life is upended by the death of her boyfriend. The film won the Oscar for Best International Feature Film, Chile's second Oscar after the animated short Bear Story. According to the report, it also sparked a debate that helped change Chilean law to allow people to legally change their gender.
His other films include Disobedience, with Rachel Weisz and Rachel McAdams; Gloria Bell, an English-language remake of Gloria starring Julianne Moore; and The Wonder, an adaptation of Emma Donoghue's novel starring Florence Pugh. His final film, The Wave, a musical protest drama, premiered at Cannes in 2025. In September he had begun filming Poeta Chileno (Chilean Poet), based on a book by Alejandro Zambra.
