Chilean director Sebastián Lelio has passed away.
He is best known for helming the Oscar-winning A Fantastic Woman.
He was 52.
Oscar-winning Chilean filmmaker Sebastián Lelio, known for directing A Fantastic Woman, The Wonder, and The Wave, died Friday at his home in Santiago. He was 52. His partner, Amalia Kassai, shared his death on social media, attributing it to unspecified health complications.
“With great sadness, we announce the death, following health complications, of Chilean filmmaker Sebastián Lelio,” she wrote in a translation. “We are going through a time of profound grief, and his memory will remain with us forever. He was a wonderful person who made significant contributions to Chilean culture at important moments in its history. As a family, we ask for privacy and consideration during these difficult times.”
Sebastián Lelio's Major Career Milestones
Sebastián Lelio was meant to be helming Chilean Poet, an adaptation of Alejandro Zambra’s novel, while developing Voyagers, a feature starring Andrew Garfield as astronomer Carl Sagan and Daisy Edgar-Jones as Cosmos co-creator Ann Druyan. Lelio previously helmed the 2017 drama A Fantastic Woman, which secured Chile's sole Oscar victory for Best Foreign Language Film (now Best International Feature Film). After debuting at Berlin—where it garnered three prizes including Best Feature and Screenplay—the film went on to win an Independent Spirit Award alongside extensive international acclaim.
The Spanish-language narrative centers on Marina (Daniela Vega), a waitress and cabaret singer, and her older partner Orlando (Francisco Reyes), whose plans for a shared future abruptly shatter when he dies suddenly. In the aftermath, Marina must navigate hostility from his family and widespread societal prejudice, asserting her strength and dignity amid grief.
Lelio launched his narrative feature debut with The Sacred Family at San Sebastián in 2005, followed by Christmas, which premiered at Cannes four years later. However, his international breakthrough arrived with the 2013 Berlin-premiered drama Gloria, centered on a woman in her late fifties re-entering the dating scene, which earned star Paulina García Berlin's Silver Bear for Best Actress. Lelio also helmed the 2018 US remake starring Julianne Moore.
“Sebastián Lelio was a one-of-a-kind filmmaker whose work continued to evolve and surprise audiences around the world,” Sony Pictures Classics, which released A Fantastic Woman, said in a statement Friday. “His distinctive storytelling and singular vision will live on through a remarkable body of work that challenged conventions, touched hearts and left an indelible mark on international cinema.”
