Sebastian Lelio Quotes

Powerful Sebastian Lelio for Daily Growth

About Sebastian Lelio

Sebastian Lelio (born October 18, 1974), an award-winning Chilean film director, screenwriter, and producer, is a dynamic figure in contemporary world cinema. Born and raised in Santiago, Lelio developed a passion for storytelling at a young age, influenced by films he watched as a child and the stories told by his grandmother. Lelio studied communication arts at Universidad Católica del Norte before moving to Barcelona to pursue a degree in Audiovisual Communication at Pompeu Fabra University. His first short film, "Papá a Toda Madre" (1994), was followed by his debut feature film, "La Fiebre del Loco" (2005). This semi-autobiographical coming-of-age story earned him critical acclaim and set the tone for his future work. His breakthrough came with the film "Gloria" (2013), a poignant tale of a middle-aged woman seeking love in Santiago's nightlife. The film was praised for its authentic portrayal of its protagonist and won numerous international awards, including the Cannes Film Festival's Best Actress Award for Paulina García. Lelio continued to push boundaries with "A Fantastic Woman" (2017), a story about a transgender woman dealing with loss and prejudice. The film was Chile's submission for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 90th Academy Awards, making Lelio the first openly gay man to represent his country in this category. "A Fantastic Woman" won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, solidifying Lelio's place as a trailblazer in international cinema. Lelio's work is characterized by its nuanced portrayal of women and marginalized communities, as well as his exploration of themes such as identity, love, loss, and societal expectations. His quotes reflect his thoughtful approach to storytelling, with statements like "I think the best stories are about how we change our lives or how we can't," encapsulating the transformative nature of his films.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"The stories that touch our hearts are not just about love and death, but also about all the moments in between."

This quote by Sebastian Lelio emphasizes the significance of everyday moments in narratives that resonate deeply with us. It suggests that while stories centered around themes like love and death are profound, there's an equal importance placed on the seemingly ordinary moments in life - those in-between instances that make up our daily existence - as they contribute to the richness and emotional impact of a story. These in-between moments can serve as connecting threads between characters, providing insight into their personal journeys, and ultimately, touching our hearts.


"Life is a constant process of becoming, of metamorphosis."

Sebastian Lelio's quote, "Life is a constant process of becoming, of metamorphosis," suggests that life is not static but a continuous journey of transformation. It implies that we are constantly evolving, growing, and changing throughout our lives, much like the metamorphosis seen in nature where an insect undergoes drastic changes to become its mature form. This quote encourages us to embrace change and understand that growth often requires adaptation and transformation, making life an exciting adventure of self-discovery and personal development.


"I think we have to learn to accept the complexity of human beings."

This quote by Sebastián Lelio emphasizes the need for understanding that people are inherently complex, with a multitude of layers, contradictions, and nuances. It encourages empathy, patience, and tolerance in dealing with others, as we recognize and accept that human behavior is rarely straightforward or easily categorized. To truly understand and appreciate each other, it's crucial to be open-minded and adaptable, acknowledging the intricate nature of the human experience.


"Cinema allows us to create worlds that are bigger than our own."

This quote by Sebastián Lelio underscores the transformative power of cinema. By creating different worlds, films enable us to transcend the boundaries of our individual experiences and engage with diverse perspectives, emotions, and realities beyond our immediate surroundings. Cinema serves as a portal, allowing us to explore universes that expand our understanding and empathy towards humanity as a whole, enriching our own lives in the process.


"The challenge in my work is always to find new ways to tell stories about ordinary people, to make them extraordinary."

This quote by Sebastián Lelio emphasizes his creative approach to storytelling. He seeks to portray 'ordinary' characters, people who are relatable and familiar, but he aims to elevate their narratives, making them compelling, immersive, and extraordinary through unique perspectives and artistic expression. His work underscores the power of storytelling in transforming the mundane into something significant and impactful.


In the case of 'Disobedience,' the very secretive way of life and religion and tradition that the North London Orthodox Jewish community has was a huge invitation to explore an unknown world. And also a possible trap, and I tried to overcome that by portraying it, hopefully, with great nuance and detail and texture.

- Sebastian Lelio

London, Very, Nuance, Secretive

I didn't know how I was going to deal with 'Disobedience' because it takes place in such a specific and often secretive world.

- Sebastian Lelio

Deal, Going, Often, Secretive

My stepfather was in the navy, so I got to know a side of Chile that is not what you would expect from an artist.

- Sebastian Lelio

Navy, Artist, Side, Stepfather

There has been too much silliness and cliche when looking at older people: I think that hides a fear of death that we have as a society. We are obsessed with youth and denying death.

- Sebastian Lelio

Think, Been, I Think, Older People

Creative processes are always very opaque. Afterwards, you tend to pretend that everything was planned and it was a strategy, but it was not like that at all.

- Sebastian Lelio

Processes, Always, Very, Opaque

Every human society has its lights and its shadows. That's the reality of existence.

- Sebastian Lelio

Society, Existence, Shadows, Human Society

The idea behind 'Gloria' was to take a secondary character - the aunt, the mother - and stay with her as she becomes our protagonist.

- Sebastian Lelio

Behind, Idea, Our, Secondary

To me, there was something moving about the idea of telling the story of a lady who is, in a way, a forgotten character - someone who would normally be a secondary role in a movie.

- Sebastian Lelio

Movie, Role, Telling, Secondary

Sometimes we have to disobey in order to transcend, in order to survive.

- Sebastian Lelio

Sometimes, Survive, Disobey, Transcend

I'm always trying to get my characters to the point of complete rebelliousness. I like that attitude that characters feel when they own their lives. There's something beautiful in the moments when characters disobey.

- Sebastian Lelio

Always, Like, Lives, Disobey

I don't believe in closed scripts; I think that they should be open.

- Sebastian Lelio

Think, I Think, Should, Scripts

I knew 'Transparent' and saw a few episodes of 'Orange is the New Black,' so I knew about the trans actor in that cast. Of course, I saw 'Boys Don't Cry' back in the day. But the path that led me to this subject was different... it's just my curiosity as a human being more than my awareness of any political struggles.

- Sebastian Lelio

Back, About, Subject, Episodes

Either we learn to live together and embrace the complexity of life, or we will end up with fascism again and destroy ourselves.

- Sebastian Lelio

Learn, Embrace, Complexity, Fascism

I grew up in a dictatorship in a very Catholic country.

- Sebastian Lelio

Country, Catholic, Very, Dictatorship

I'm not saying transgender characters should be only interpreted by transgender actors - because that would be as rigid as saying transgender actors cannot play cisgender roles, and that's not the idea.

- Sebastian Lelio

Play, Idea, Roles, Interpreted

There's something about using the cinematic device as a tool to connect with dimensions of the world that you don't know too well, you're not too familiar with. It's like a creating a bridge, or a spaceship to travel to the unknown.

- Sebastian Lelio

Like, About, Using, Device

In order to make a film, you have to operate on many different levels, making all these different forms of expression converse, and so I just followed that intuition.

- Sebastian Lelio

Film, Expression, Making, Forms

The living experience of film only happens when a film is seen, and only within the spectator, because they project their own fears, desires, and fantasies upon those lights and shadows.

- Sebastian Lelio

Living, Within, Fantasies, Spectator

The use of music in 'Gloria' is not cynical.

- Sebastian Lelio

Music, Use, Cynical

The mystery of film is not in the script. It's in the shooting, in the interacting of humans and space and time.

- Sebastian Lelio

Mystery, Interacting, Space And Time

Casting is an art, and if you're interested in people, like I am, casting is essential.

- Sebastian Lelio

Art, I Am, Like, Casting

I'm interested in the intersection of character and actor.

- Sebastian Lelio

Character, Actor, Interested, Intersection

When you're filming, not everything is rational.

- Sebastian Lelio

You, Everything, Filming, Rational

Those of us who make movies play with perception and reality; those who watch our films are responsible for making sense of it.

- Sebastian Lelio

Play, Making, Films, Perception

When you're filming, you're blind. But if you follow what really moves you, then you operate from a place of hope: maybe that the story you're telling will resonate with whatever the world will have become when the film is ready to be born.

- Sebastian Lelio

Blind, Maybe, Telling, Resonate

I learned at an early age to be socially effective while practicing disappearing.

- Sebastian Lelio

Effective, Learned, Socially, Early Age

I'm very open to following the stories that move me and reach that flexibility where you can be more flexible. I'm expanding my horizons.

- Sebastian Lelio

Move, Very, Expanding, Flexible

We all face crossroads in our lives where we can retreat into ourselves, or we can hit the dance floor.

- Sebastian Lelio

Lives, Dance Floor, Our, Floor

In Latin America, cinema has always been a bourgeois activity, I guess, as it is everywhere. It's just a stupidly expensive art form, and there is nothing you can do about it.

- Sebastian Lelio

Always, Been, Bourgeois, Latin America

Latin American culture is conservative, and the rural areas are tremendously conservative. I don't believe that's just a Chilean thing.

- Sebastian Lelio

Conservative, Rural, Latin

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