A Fantastic Woman (Una mujer fantástica) 

Winner of the Foreign Language Film Oscar at the 90th Academy Awards ceremony—making it the first Chilean picture to win in this category—Sebastián Lelio’s sensitive, magical realist story of young transgender woman Marina (Daniela Vega) offers so much more than a compelling narrative, a stunning lead performance, and sumptuous visuals from cinematographer Benjamín Echazarreta. Lelio’s goal to “make a film that hopefully was as complex and beautiful as its main character” also mobilized the transgender rights movement in Chile, resulting in the passing of a landmark gender identity law. In another milestone, Vega became the first transgender person to present during an Oscars telecast.