Oscar-Winning Chilean Director Sebastián Lelio Dies at 52

Chilean filmmaker Sebastián Lelio, whose A Fantastic Woman won an Academy Award, died at 52 on November 6. His family confirmed his death and requested privacy. He was found at his home in Las Condes, in Santiago’s Metropolitan Region. “We are going through a moment of great pain,” his family said in a statement signed by the Lelio Kassai and Campos Watt families. The statement attributed his death to health reasons without naming an illness. The announcement came while he was filming Poeta chileno, an adaptation of Alejandro Zambra’s novel. A Fantastic Woman, released in 2017 and starring Daniela Vega, won the 2018 Oscar for best foreign-language film. It was the first Chilean feature to win that category. Lelio had earlier directed Gloria, released in 2013, whose lead actress Paulina García won the Silver Bear for best actress at the Berlin film festival. Born in Mendoza, Argentina, on March 8, 1974, Lelio grew up in Chile. His feature debut was La sagrada familia in 2006, followed by Navidad in 2009 and El año del tigre in 2011. His international work included Disobedience, with Rachel Weisz and Rachel McAdams; Gloria Bell, starring Julianne Moore; and The Wonder, starring Florence Pugh. His film La ola premiered in 2025.