SANTIAGO, Chile — A bill that would give transgender Chileans the right to change their name and gender marker in official documents had been advancing at a glacial pace since a handful of lawmakers introduced it in May 2013.

Then along came Daniela Vega.

Last year, the acclaimed performance in the film “A Fantastic Woman” by Ms. Vega, a transgender Chilean actress, gave a face and a voice to the plight of a largely invisible and stigmatized community. On Monday, she was celebrated as a national hero after the movie won the Academy Award for best foreign language film, a first for Chile.

The government of President Michelle Bachelet, whose term ends Sunday, used the news of the award on Monday to call on lawmakers to make headway on the bill this week.

“The award fills us with pride, not only because it recognizes a high caliber film, but a story about respect for diversity that serves us well as a nation,” Ms. Bachelet, who championed gay and transgender rights during her second term in office, wrote in a Twitter post on Monday morning.