A Fantastic Woman wins Best Foreign Language Film at Oscars

It’s a fantastic night for A Fantastic Woman!

The Chilean movie took home the Oscar for Best Foreign Langue Film at the 90th Academy Awards Sunday evening.

“Thank you so much, this is an amazing gift,” director Sebastián Lelio said, adding, “I want to thank the cast of the film, especially the brilliant actor Francisco Reyes and the inspiration for this movie, Daniela Vega.”

“This film was made by a lot of friends and artists, I share this with all of you tonight,” he said.

A Fantastic Woman tells the story of Marina (Vega), a transgender woman grieving the loss of her recently deceased lover Orlando while dealing with his family’s prejudice. Since it premiered, the film has received widespread critical acclaim, especially for Vega’s powerful performance in her first on-screen role.

The movie was initially about a cisgender character; however, Lelio was inspired to change the story after he began working with Vega, who initially joined the movie as a LGBT advisor.

“The script began absorbing things from Daniela, and I realized she was the one. She was Marina!” he told EW in January. ““She was mind-blowing in ways that pushed our relationship, and that pushed the boundaries of what the film could be.”

Vega hopes the movie will represent the global transgender community. “The mission of the movie is to make sure our emotions are reconnected, because [we’re often] silenced,” she said. “Art is key to unlocking those doors of [understanding.]”

A Fantastic Woman beat out The Insult (Lebanon), Loveless (Russia), On Body and Soul (Hungary), and The Square.