Sebastián Lelio Dies at 52: Oscar, Berlin and a Restaurant

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At the age of 52, Sebastián Lelio has died in his native Chile. The Chilean-German actress Amalia Kassai announced the death of her partner and longtime director on Instagram, saying she was filled with “great sorrow.” According to local media, Lelio was found dead in his home in Las Condes, a city in the metropolitan area of Santiago de Chile.

Kassai cited health reasons as the cause of death. The central news is therefore clear: Lelio, one of Latin America’s most internationally renowned filmmakers, has died. His biography explains why his death has attracted attention far beyond the film industry. He brought Chile to the forefront of the audiovisual world through his work, lived in Berlin for years, and combined his film career with his own life as a restaurant owner.

An Oscar for “A Fantastic Woman”

In 2018, Lelio won the Oscar for best non-English-language film as the director of “A Fantastic Woman.” Der Spiegel described the film as the Chilean director’s international breakthrough. It was also the only time an overseas Oscar had gone to Chile.

The film tells the story of a transgender woman. Daniela Vega plays a young transsexual woman who lives in a happy relationship with an older man. When he suddenly dies, she has to rebuild her plans and fight against prejudice once again.

Before that, the film had won the Silver Bear for best screenplay at the 2017 Berlinale. “A Fantastic Woman” was therefore not only an Oscar success. The film had already received a major competitive prize in Berlin, later internationally confirmed by its Oscar nomination and win. The title, story and award continue to shape Sebastián Lelio’s reputation.

Berlin Shaped His Film and Restaurant

Lelio first arrived in Berlin in 2012. For half a year, he was a guest in the artist program of the German Academic Exchange Service, the DAAD. During this time, he began editing “Gloria” in Germany, a film shot in Chile that premiered in competition at the following year’s Berlinale.

“Gloria” portrays a charismatic woman in her fifties. The film won three awards, including the Silver Bear for best leading actress Paulina García. Lelio later wanted to stage a Hollywood remake of the project with Julianne Moore in the leading role.

Berlin became more than a temporary stop in his career. He lived in the German capital for several years and founded the South American restaurant “Gloria” in the Kreuzberg district. By using the name of his first award-winning film for his restaurant as well, he connected the two visible parts of his life in Berlin.

In 2017, Lelio told the German Press Agency that the experience of making “Gloria” was “a milestone in our lives” and that the city had “interfered with the film.” The idea for “A Fantastic Woman” also emerged in Berlin. He was 43 years old at the time. Berlin was therefore not only the place where he worked, but also the birthplace of a film that later won the Oscar.

From His First Short Film to International Director

Lelio was born in 1974 in Mendoza, Argentina, and grew up in Viña del Mar, Chile. He studied at the film school in the capital Santiago de Chile. After making his first short films, he ventured into the drama “La sagrada familia” in 2005.

His thematic approach was already evident in this early work: he examined prejudice and social hypocrisy from a new perspective. This view of social injustice also shaped “A Fantastic Woman,” whose story recounts the experiences of a transgender woman in Chile.

The Oscar was therefore not merely an award for a successful film. It made internationally visible a cinematic stance that Lelio had already laid out in “La sagrada Familia.” Chile honored his death accordingly: Culture Minister Francisco Undurraga said Lelio’s films had brought the South American country “to the forefront of the audiovisual world.”

Mourning in Chile and the Official Reaction

The Chilean actors’ union “Chile Actores” also reacted with shock. According to the union, Lelio’s death means “an enormous loss” for Chile’s cultural and film sectors. On a more personal level, it was above all Amalia Kassai who publicly announced his death.

Lelio’s death once again brings together his two greatest fields of work: the internationally acclaimed director and the Berlin resident who had created a place beyond the film world in his own restaurant “Gloria.” Oscar, Berlin and Kreuzberg marked not only stages in a career, but also the most visible parts of his life between Chile, Argentina and Germany.

Original report from Der Spiegel