Sebastián Lelio’s Reported Death at 52 Remains Unverified

The Claim Concerns the Oscar-Winning Director of A Fantastic Woman

An account circulating online claims that Chilean filmmaker Sebastián Lelio died at age 52. The claim could not be independently verified. The reports cited in connection with it would need to be checked before his death could be presented as confirmed.

A Fantastic Woman Brought Lelio’s Work to a Wider Audience

Lelio directed A Fantastic Woman, the Chilean drama starring Daniela Vega as Marina, a transgender woman whose partner dies suddenly. As Marina grieves, she faces people who question her right to mourn him. The film follows her through that loss and the discrimination she encounters in its aftermath.

A Fantastic Woman won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2018. Its international success brought a transgender lead character to a wider audience and contributed to public discussion of transgender rights in Chile.

He Also Directed Disobedience and The Wonder

Lelio brought his interest in women navigating restrictive expectations to English-language cinema. He directed Rachel Weisz and Rachel McAdams in Disobedience and Florence Pugh in The Wonder. Those films introduced his work to audiences who may have first heard his name when A Fantastic Woman won its Oscar.