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Remembering Sebastián Lelio, an Auteur Who Centered Women’s Stories With Style and Sensitivity
Chilean filmmaker Sebastián Lelio has died aged 52, leaving a varied body of work known for its empathy and distinctive style. His films often centred women and queer lives, and helped bring Chilean cinema to wider attention, including through the Oscar-winning *A Fantastic Woman*.
Lelio won the 2017 Academy Award for Best International Feature for *A Fantastic Woman*, the first Chilean film to receive the award. His films also included *Disobedience* and *Gloria*; he later remade the latter as *Gloria Bell*, with Julianne Moore, creating a companion piece that shifted the story’s tone.
In short
- Sebastián Lelio has died aged 52.
- His films gave nuanced attention to women’s stories.
- *A Fantastic Woman* won Chile its first international-feature Oscar.
Explained simply
Sebastián Lelio was a Chilean film director whose work reached audiences both in Chile and abroad. Chile’s film industry is smaller than those of countries such as the United States, so international recognition for its films can bring wider attention to its filmmakers and stories.
Many of Lelio’s films focused on women and queer people, whose experiences have often been less visible in mainstream cinema. His films included *Gloria* and *Disobedience*, as well as *A Fantastic Woman*, which won the Academy Award for Best International Feature in 2017—the first Chilean film to do so.
Lelio also made *Gloria Bell*, a companion to *Gloria* with a different tone. Together, his films showed how a story could be retold for a new setting and audience while keeping its focus on people’s lives and relationships.