Sebastián Lelio, director of A Fantastic Woman and Gloria, dies aged 52 — SkimNews
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- Sebastián Lelio died at 52; partner Amalia Kassai announced his death on Instagram without specifying the cause and said in Spanish that it was a painful time for his family, while Chilean media reported that he died at home in Las Condes, Santiago.
- A Fantastic Woman, Lelio’s drama about the life of a trans woman, became the first Chilean film to win the Oscar for best international feature.
- Lelio said A Fantastic Woman’s 2017 release helped reactivate discussion in Chile of a gender identity bill that had been dormant in congress for seven years.
- Gloria, Lelio’s 2013 drama about a woman in her late 50s who starts dating again, premiered at Berlin, won Paulina García an acting award and provided his major international breakthrough.
- Disobedience, his English-language debut, told a queer love story between Rachel Weisz and Rachel McAdams and was nominated for five British independent film awards.
- The Wonder, a critically acclaimed adaptation of Emma Donoghue’s novel starring Florence Pugh, followed Gloria Bell, Lelio’s remake of Gloria set in America with Julianne Moore in the lead.
- The Wave, Lelio’s 2025 musical protest drama, premiered at Cannes and was his final film.
Why it matters: Chilean cinema loses the filmmaker behind its first Oscar-winning international feature, which Lelio said helped reactivate a gender-identity debate dormant for seven years. His partner announced the death without a cause, and The Wave, a 2025 Cannes musical protest drama, was his final film.
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