Death of Oscar-winning director Sebastián Lelio

Local media reported that Lelio’s body was found at his home in Las Condes, near the Chilean capital, Santiago.

Lelio won the Academy Award (Oscar) for Best Foreign Language Film in 2018 for “A Fantastic Woman.” He also won the Silver Bear for Best Film at the Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) in 2017. His previous film, “Gloria,” premiered at the festival in 2013 and won several awards. He later directed a Hollywood remake of the film, starring Julianne Moore.

Lelio was born in Argentina in 1974, grew up in Chile, and spent many years in Berlin. His most recent work was “The Wave,” a musical piece inspired by feminist movements in Chile. At the time of his death, he was working on a cinematic adaptation of Alejandro Zambra’s novel “Chilean Poet.” He was also preparing for initial pre-production on the film “Voyagers,” starring Andrew Garfield and Daisy Edgar-Jones.