Sebastian Lelio, the acclaimed Chilean director, screenwriter and producer who won an Oscar for A Fantastic Woman, has died at the age of 52.
The filmmaker was found dead at his home in Las Condes, Santiago, Chile, around midday on Friday by his partner, actress Amalia Kassai, who contacted authorities, according to local media outlet Emol.
His family and Kassai said that Lelio had died following “health complications.” An exact medical cause has not been disclosed, and it remains unclear whether he had been dealing with ongoing health problems before his death.
“With great sadness, we announce the death, following health complications, of Chilean filmmaker Sebastian 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 a deeply emotional tribute, Kassai wrote that Lelio had been “for many, an important person.”
Sebastian Lelio, the acclaimed Chilean director, screenwriter and producer who won an Oscar for A Fantastic Woman, was 52; pictured in 2018 at the 90th Annual Academy Awards
In a moving tribute, his partner Amalia Kassai wrote that Lelio was “for many, an important person”; above, Kassai and Lelio attend the BAFTA Nominees Party in London in 2023
She shared a carousel of photographs showing the couple together and wrote: “I love you in this life and in all the lives to come. He illuminated everything and everything around him … Only love remains.”
At the time of his death, Lelio was working on an adaptation of Alejandro Zambra’s novel Chilean Poet, which began filming in September.
He was also developing Voyagers, an upcoming English-language film planned to star Andrew Garfield as astronomer Carl Sagan and Daisy Edgar-Jones as Cosmos filmmaker Ann Druyan.
Lelio’s latest completed project was the musical drama The Wave, which premiered at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.
The director’s final film was loosely inspired by Chile’s feminist protests in 2018 and featured Kassai as Paz.
His other notable films included 2011’s The Year of the Tiger, the 2017 romantic drama Disobedience starring Rachel Weisz, the 2018 comedy-drama Gloria starring Julianne Moore, and the 2022 psychological thriller The Wonder starring Florence Pugh.
EXPLORE MORE: “It’s a shame” – Pochettino slams penalty drama from Chelsea players, makes vow – NewsFinale
His 2017 feature A Fantastic Woman won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, becoming only the second Oscar won by Chile.
The film follows Marina, played by Daniela Vega, a transgender woman who works as a waitress while pursuing a career as a singer in Santiago, Chile. Her life is thrown into turmoil when her older boyfriend, Orlando, played by Francisco Reyes, suddenly dies from an aneurysm.
His family and Kassai said he died following “health complications”; above, Lelio and Kassai appear in a photograph she shared in tribute to her late partner
Lelio’s latest completed project was the musical drama The Wave, which premiered at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival and featured his partner in a role
Kassai shared several romantic photographs of the couple in an emotional tribute to her late partner
Sony Pictures Classics, which released the Oscar-winning A Fantastic Woman, said on Friday: “Sebastián Lelio was a one-of-a-kind filmmaker whose work continued to evolve and surprise audiences around the world”
The film also received honors at the Berlin International Film Festival, the Goya Awards and the Independent Spirit Awards.
Lelio was born in Mendoza, Argentina, and moved to Chile at the age of two with his Chilean mother, Valeria.
He described his childhood and adolescence as “nomadic” in 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 Vina del Mar; my maternal family is from Vina… essentially I was never more than two or three years in the same city.”
Lelio studied journalism for a year before graduating from the Chilean Film School.
Sony Pictures Classics, the distributor of A Fantastic Woman, said in a statement on 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.”