Chilean filmmaker Sebastián Lelio dies at 52

Sebastián Lelio, the Chilean director whose work earned an Academy Award for Best International Feature with A Fantastic Woman, died at the age of 52. His partner, Amalia Kassai, posted a brief notice on Instagram stating that his family was experiencing a painful time, without providing a cause of death.

Lelio was born in Argentina and moved to Chile when he was two years old. After a brief study of journalism, he graduated from film school and began his career with the documentary Cero (2003). His first narrative feature, The Sacred Family, premiered at the San Sebastián Film Festival in 2005, followed by Christmas (2009) at Cannes.

International recognition came with Gloria (2013), which premiered at the Berlin Film Festival and earned lead actress Paulina García an acting award. The subsequent film A Fantastic Woman (2017) became the first Chilean picture to win the Oscar for Best International Feature, drawing attention to transgender rights in Chile.

Lelio later directed English‑language projects, including Disobedience, Gloria Bell (starring Julianne Moore), and the adaptation of The Wonder with Florence Pugh. He described his collaborative approach to actors as a need for mutual trust and creative freedom.

His final film, The Wave (2025), a musical protest drama, premiered at Cannes. In a 2018 Guardian interview he reflected that filmmaking is “a gift you leave somewhere – you then hide and see what happens.”