The director of “A Fantastic Woman” died in Santiago as prosecutors conducted investigative procedures and Chile observed two days of official mourning.
SANTIAGO, Chile — Sebastián Lelio, the acclaimed Chilean filmmaker whose “A Fantastic Woman” won an Academy Award and helped carry Chilean cinema to a wider international audience, died Friday at age 52, his family announced. His relatives attributed his death to health reasons but did not disclose a specific medical cause.
Lelio’s death on Nov. 6 prompted an official response from prosecutors as well as a national outpouring from Chile’s film and cultural communities. The Metropolitan East Prosecutor’s Office conducted investigative procedures at his residence in the Las Condes area of Santiago and later assigned further work to the homicide brigade of Chile’s investigative police. Authorities had not announced findings indicating criminal wrongdoing as of Sunday, and prosecutors said they would not provide additional statements about the case.
Lelio’s family confirmed his death in a statement shared through his partner, actress Amalia Kassai. The family said he died for health-related reasons and described him as a person who had made important contributions to Chilean culture. His relatives also asked for privacy as they mourned. Chilean media reported that Kassai found Lelio at his residence around midday Friday and contacted authorities, but officials released few further details about the circumstances surrounding his death.
The Chilean government declared Nov. 7 and 8 days of official mourning in Lelio’s honor. The Ministry of Cultures, Arts and Heritage praised his role in taking Chilean filmmaking to international audiences and highlighted “A Fantastic Woman” as a defining achievement in the country’s cinema. The 2017 drama became the first Chilean feature film to win the Academy Award for best foreign-language film when it received the honor at the 2018 Oscars. The category is now known as best international feature film.
“A Fantastic Woman” starred Daniela Vega as Marina, a transgender woman facing grief and discrimination after the death of her partner. The film became Lelio’s best-known work internationally and marked a major moment for Chile’s movie industry. Its Oscar was Chile’s second Academy Award overall after the animated short “Bear Story” won in 2016. Lelio’s film also brought wider attention to Vega, whose performance became central to the movie’s international acclaim.
Lelio had established himself as an important filmmaker years before the Oscar victory. His 2013 drama “Gloria,” about a middle-aged woman rebuilding her personal life, earned international recognition, and star Paulina García won the Silver Bear for best actress at the Berlin International Film Festival. Lelio later remade the story in English as “Gloria Bell,” starring Julianne Moore. His other English-language projects included “Disobedience,” with Rachel Weisz and Rachel McAdams, and “The Wonder,” starring Florence Pugh.
His later work continued to move between Chilean stories and international productions. “The Wave,” a musical inspired by Chile’s 2018 feminist student movement, premiered in 2025. At the time of his death, Lelio was working on “Chilean Poet,” an adaptation of Alejandro Zambra’s novel. The project was another example of his continuing connection to Chilean literature and culture even as his career expanded beyond the country.
Born in Mendoza, Argentina, Lelio moved to Chile with his family when he was 2. He briefly studied journalism before attending the Chilean Film School and developed a career as a director, screenwriter and producer. His feature work included “The Sacred Family,” “The Year of the Tiger,” “Gloria,” “A Fantastic Woman,” “Disobedience,” “Gloria Bell,” “The Wonder” and “The Wave.” Over two decades, his films regularly centered people navigating grief, identity, social pressure and changes in their personal lives.
Tributes followed quickly after his death. Chilean cultural organizations, performers and filmmakers described Lelio as a significant figure in the international rise of the country’s cinema. Culture officials said his work had become part of Chile’s cultural legacy. Moore, who worked with Lelio on “Gloria Bell,” was among the international film figures who publicly remembered the director after news of his death spread.
Lelio’s family arranged a public farewell at the Cineteca Nacional de Chile in Santiago for Saturday and Sunday, allowing members of the public to pay their respects subject to the venue’s capacity. The farewell continued Sunday as Chile observed the second of its two official days of mourning. A more specific medical cause of death had not been publicly released, while the investigative procedures ordered by prosecutors remained part of the official response to his death.
Author note: Last updated November 8, 2026.