Chilean filmmaker Sebastián Lelio, the Oscar-winning director of “A Fantastic Woman,” died Friday, Nov. 6, at his home in the Las Condes district of Santiago, Chile. He was 52.

His partner, actress Amalia Kassai, announced the death on Instagram, saying it followed health complications. No specific cause has been disclosed, and Chilean prosecutors have opened a routine investigation.

Lelio’s 2017 film “A Fantastic Woman,” starring Daniela Vega as a trans woman grieving her partner’s death, won the 2018 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film — Chile’s first win in the category.

His other films include “Gloria” (2013), “Disobedience” (2017), “Gloria Bell” (2018) and “The Wonder” (2022); his final completed film was the musical “The Wave” (2025).

He was filming an adaptation of Alejandro Zambra’s novel “Poeta Chileno” (“Chilean Poet”) at the time of his death, with a Carl Sagan biopic (“Voyagers,” starring Andrew Garfield and Daisy Edgar-Jones) in pre-production.

Sources: Entertainment Weekly and Page Six.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons