The key facts
- Sebastián Lelio died in Chile at the age of 52; his death was reported on November 6 by the TVN channel.
- His A Fantastic Woman in 2018 became the first Chilean feature film to win an Oscar — including beating the Russian Loveless.
- The cause of death has not been officially disclosed; his last completed work was the film The Wave (2025).
Death of an Oscar-winning director
Chilean director Sebastián Lelio has died at the age of 52. His death was reported on November 6 by the TVN channel, as relayed by Life.ru. The director died in Chile; the causes and circumstances of his death have not yet been officially disclosed.
The path to international recognition
Lelio was born on March 8, 1974, in the Argentine city of Mendoza, but grew up in Chile, where he received his film education and began his career. He gained international fame with the 2013 drama Gloria: lead actress Paulina García won the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival.
The Oscar and overtaking a Russian film
The director's greatest success was A Fantastic Woman (2017), starring Daniela Vega — the story of a woman who, after the death of her loved one, faces the prejudice of those around her. In 2018, the film won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, becoming the first Chilean feature film to receive this award. It was in that category that the film beat the Russian drama Loveless by Andrey Zvyagintsev, which is reflected in the headline of the Life.ru publication.
Later works
Lelio later directed Disobedience, Gloria Bell, and The Wonder starring Florence Pugh. His last completed feature film was the musical The Wave, presented in 2025. At the time of his death, the director was working on an adaptation of Alejandro Zambra's novel The Chilean Poet.
