🔗 Share this article Persian Film Titan, Beyzai, Dies At the Age of 87 Bahram Beyzai (left) with his wife, actress Mozhdeh Shamsai Widespread homages have been shared for the legendary Bahram Beyzai, a colossus of Iranian cinema and theatre, who has died aged 87 in the US. Homeland in Mourning The front pages of publications in Iran lament his loss, with dissenting figures and those who reflect nostalgically on the Shah era also paying homage to Beyzai. "His passing is an immense tragedy for the cultural heritage of our country," remarked Prince Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of the last Shah of Iran. Even though Beyzai's later films were prohibited in the 1980s by the Islamic regime, a host of prominent officials in the present administration have also acknowledged his contribution to Persian arts. The Teacher of a Generation Many of the current crop of Iranian filmmakers have acknowledged their debt to him. Jaafar Panahi noted that Beyzai taught them "how to stand up to oblivion." Beyzai avoided direct political references in his work, both as a playwright and a film director, and always said he tried not to trade in explicit commentary. But his oeuvre over many decades sets archetypal characters in conflict with authoritarian religious and political systems. A Cultural Foundation Hailing from a lineage of celebrated poets, Beyzai was steeped in the deepest traditions of Persian culture from birth. He first found fame as a theater writer, drawing on Persian legend and ritual. A devotee of cinema, he moved into filmmaking in the 1970s. He gained acclaim as one of the key figures in the new wave of Iranian cinema. Navigating Censorship His most productive period straddled the time of the Shah and then the Islamic theocratic forces that overthrew him—with each regime ever ready to sniff out subtext that could be interpreted as dissent. "Beyzai never opted for the path of least resistance. He withstood years of marginalization, enforced quiet, and exile, but he did not give up his language and his convictions," stated the filmmaker in his tribute. A Masterpiece Amidst Conflict A few years after the 1979 Revolution, he produced what many regard as his magnum opus, Bashu, the Little Stranger, about a young child who tries to find shelter from the Iran-Iraq war. It was banned in Iran—as were subsequent works he made in that time—but later voted by film critics as the greatest Iranian film of all time. The film was shown in a restored version at this year's Venice Film Festival, receiving an award for best film in the heritage category. Final Years in Exile Beyzai ultimately departed Iran in 2010 and spent his later years in the US, where he taught Persian studies. Although he went into exile, his wife, the actress Shamsai, said just the sound of the word "Iran" would still make him emotional—and he continued to hope for a new culture and tomorrow for his native land.