Sebastián Lelio, the acclaimed Chilean filmmaker behind the Oscar-winning A Fantastic Woman, has died at the age of 52.
According to Chilean outlet Emol, Lelio was discovered at his home in Las Condes, Santiago, shortly after midday on Friday by his partner, actress Amalia Kassai, who contacted emergency services.
His family and Kassai said the director died after suffering “health complications.” They did not provide further details, and no specific medical cause of death has been made public.
“With great sadness, we announce the death, following health complications, of Chilean filmmaker Sebastián Lelio,” they said in a statement.
“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.”
In an emotional tribute, Kassai described Lelio as someone who was “for many, an important person.”
Sebastián Lelio, the acclaimed Chilean director, screenwriter and producer who won an Oscar for A Fantastic Woman, has died at 52; pictured in 2018 at the 90th Annual Academy Awards
In a moving tribute, Lelio’s partner Amalia Kassai wrote that he was “for many, an important person.” Above, Kassai and Lelio attend the 2023 BAFTA Nominees Party in London
She accompanied a series of photographs of the couple with a deeply personal message: “I love you in this life and in all the lives to come. He illuminated everything and everything around him … Only love remains.”
Lelio had been working on a screen adaptation of Chilean Poet by Alejandro Zambra when he died. Production on the film began in September.
He was also developing Voyagers, an English-language feature planned to star Andrew Garfield as astronomer Carl Sagan and Daisy Edgar-Jones as Cosmos filmmaker Ann Druyan.
His latest completed film, the musical drama The Wave, premiered worldwide at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.
The film, loosely inspired by Chile’s feminist protests in 2018, included Kassai in the role of Paz.
Lelio’s acclaimed body of work also included The Year of the Tiger from 2011, the 2017 romantic drama Disobedience starring Rachel Weisz, the 2018 comedy-drama Gloria with Julianne Moore and the 2022 psychological thriller The Wonder starring Florence Pugh.
His 2017 film A Fantastic Woman made history by winning the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, becoming only the second Oscar victory for Chile.
The drama follows Marina, played by Daniela Vega, a transgender waitress and aspiring singer in Santiago whose life changes dramatically after the sudden death of her older partner, Orlando, portrayed by Francisco Reyes, from an aneurysm.
Lelio’s family and Kassai said he died following “health complications.” Above, Kassai and Lelio appear in a photograph she shared in tribute to her late partner
Lelio’s final completed project was the musical drama The Wave, which premiered at Cannes in 2025 and featured Kassai in the cast
Kassai shared several affectionate photographs of the couple in a heartfelt tribute following Lelio’s death
Sony Pictures Classics, distributor of the Oscar-winning A Fantastic Woman, said: “Sebastián Lelio was a one-of-a-kind filmmaker whose work continued to evolve and surprise audiences around the world”
The film also received major recognition at the Berlin International Film Festival, the Goya Awards and the Independent Spirit Awards.
Lelio was born in Mendoza, Argentina, and relocated to Chile with his Chilean mother, Valeria, when he was two years old.
He later described his childhood and adolescence as “nomadic” during a 2013 interview with Revista Nos.
“Up to the age of 21, I was moving between different cities in Chile,” Lelio said.
“I lived for a time in the United States, and also in Viña del Mar; my maternal family is from Viña… essentially I was never more than two or three years in the same city.”
He initially studied journalism for a year before completing his education at the Chilean Film School.
Sony Pictures Classics, which distributed A Fantastic Woman, paid tribute to Lelio in a statement released Friday: “Sebastián Lelio was a one-of-a-kind filmmaker whose work continued to evolve and surprise audiences around the world.
“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.”
