Sebastián Lelio Dies at 52: What Is Known About the Oscar-Winning Director

TVS News AI, editorially supervised, presents Sebastián Lelio Dies at 52: What Is Known About the Oscar-Winning Director.

A report by Variety on November 6, 2026 begins with a simple, hard fact: Sebastián Lelio died on Friday at his home in Santiago. The Chilean film director was 52 years old.

For you as a film fan, this is above all news about the director behind “A Fantastic Woman.” But Lelio’s work reaches further: he directed “The Wave,” “Disobedience,” “Gloria Bell” and “The Wonder,” and was already planning the film “Chilean Poet.” The following details therefore separate the confirmed death from what defined his career.

Amalia Kassai Announced Lelio’s Death in Santiago

The partner’s announcement

Lelio’s partner Amalia Kassai wrote on Instagram that his death was due to health reasons. She also published a personal statement from the family:

“We are going through a very difficult time, and his memory will remain with us forever. He was a wonderful human being who contributed to Chilean culture during important moments in history.”

The message was signed by the Lelio-Kassai family and the Campos-Watt family. In it, they ask for respect for their privacy and consideration during this difficult time.

According to the Chilean news portal El Mercurio Online, Kassai contacted police after Lelio was found in his apartment in the Las Condes district of Santiago. This begins the publicly known sequence of events: Kassai announced the news on Instagram, while police were called in response to his being found in the apartment.

“A Fantastic Woman” Brought the Oscar and Change in Chile

The Oscar-winning film

“A Fantastic Woman” is the film through which Lelio became internationally known. Its story features Daniela Vega, a transgender woman involved in the tragic death of her older husband. The film won the 2018 Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film and the Independent Spirit Award for Best International Film.

The film’s treatment of gender identity reaches beyond the Oscar. According to Variety, the film’s focus led to reforms to trans identification in Chile. In this context, Lelio is described not only as the director of a successful film, but as the artistic leader of a body of work that brought social and political issues to the screen.

From the First Feature Film to “The Wave”

A career with international subjects

Lelio was born in Argentina and moved to Chile at the age of two. He began his career with “La Sagrada Familia.” This was followed by “Navidad” and “The Year of the Tiger.”

He also attracted international attention with “Disobedience” in 2017. The English-language film stars Rachel Weisz and Rachel McAdams. At its center is a woman who returns to an Orthodox community and reunites with a childhood friend there.

With “Gloria Bell,” Lelio returned to a story he had already told in “Gloria.” The English-language remake, starring Julianne Moore and John Turturro, tells the story of a free-spirited woman searching for love in Los Angeles dance clubs. “Gloria” won numerous awards.

His other works include “The Wonder”. Lelio most recently directed “The Wave”, a musical inspired by feminist mobilizations in Chile. At the same time, he was working on “Chilean Poet”, an adaptation of the novel by Alejandro Zambra.

What the Announcement About Lelio Conveys

A confirmed death and an extraordinary body of work

One thing is certain: Sebastián Lelio died on Friday at the age of 52 in Santiago. Amalia Kassai confirmed the death on Instagram and cited health reasons as the cause. According to information from El Mercurio Online, she called the police after finding Lelio in his apartment in Las Condes.

The family asks for privacy. In terms of content, however, the announcement goes beyond a death notice. It recalls a director who won the Oscar with “A Fantastic Woman,” directed English-language stories with “Disobedience” and “Gloria Bell,” and processed feminist movements in Chile through “The Wave.” The fact that “The Wonder” and “Gloria Bell” are also explicitly counted among Lelio’s works makes his death a loss for Chilean and international cinema.