A death announced by his partner
Sebastián Lelio, the Chilean filmmaker whose work ranged from intimate relationship dramas to an Oscar-winning portrait of a trans woman, has died at 52. His partner, Amalia Kassai, disclosed the death in a post on Instagram. She did not state a cause, describing the period as painful for the family. Chilean news outlets reported that he died at his residence in Las Condes, a district of Santiago. Outlets in Chile, Spain, the United States and beyond carried the news.[S1][S2][S3][S4][S5][S6][S7][S8]
From journalism studies to the San Sebastián festival
Lelio was born in Argentina and relocated to Chile when he was two years old. He spent a year studying journalism before completing film school, and in 2003 he released Cero, a documentary about the September 11 attacks. His first fiction feature, The Sacred Family, had its premiere at the San Sebastián film festival in 2005. His next film, Christmas, opened at Cannes in 2009.[S1]
The international breakthrough came in 2013 with Gloria, a drama centered on a woman in her late fifties who returns to dating. It premiered at Berlin, where its lead, Paulina García, collected an acting prize. Lelio later reworked the story as Gloria Bell, moving the setting to the United States and casting Julianne Moore in the title role.[S1]
An Oscar first for Chile
Lelio's next project was A Fantastic Woman, a drama centred on a transgender woman's life, which proved to be yet another breakthrough for him. The film made history as Chile's first winner of the Academy Award for best international feature. Guardian reviewer Peter Bradshaw, awarding it five stars, called it a sublime meditation on the lofty suffering that comes with mourning.[S1][S4][S6][S8]
Lelio said in a 2018 interview with the Guardian that a gender identity bill had sat dormant in congress for seven years when the film came out in 2017. He argued that the release, and the year in which the movie became known around the world, helped restart the discussion in Chile.[S1]
English-language films and a final musical
His first English-language feature was Disobedience, a London-set drama about a love affair between two women played by Rachel Weisz and Rachel McAdams. The film received five British independent film award nominations. He went on to direct an adaptation of Emma Donoghue's novel The Wonder, starring Florence Pugh, which drew strong reviews.[S1]
Lelio spoke of his attachment to performers and to the set itself, saying he needed actors to trust him so they could explore, lose their way, be foolish or brave while he looked after them, and that the set was where the sparkle lay. His last film was The Wave, a musical protest drama that premiered at Cannes in 2025. He compared making a film to a gift left somewhere before hiding to watch what follows.[S1]
