🔗 Share this article Iranian Film Titan, Bahram Beyzai, Passes Away Aged 87 Beyzai pictured alongside his spouse, the actress Mozhdeh Shamsai Profound homages have been shared for Bahram Beyzai, a colossus of Persian film and stage, who has died aged 87 in the US. Homeland in Mourning The front pages of Iranian newspapers mourn his loss, with opposition voices and those who look back fondly on the pre-revolution period also paying homage to Beyzai. "This loss is a great loss for the art and culture of our country," remarked the exiled prince, son of the last Shah of Iran. Even though Beyzai's subsequent works were prohibited in the 1980s by the theocratic government, a host of senior figures in the current government have also acknowledged his legacy to Persian arts. The Teacher of a Generation Several of the current crop of Iranian filmmakers have expressed their gratitude to him. Jaafar Panahi said that Beyzai showed them "how to stand up to oblivion." Beyzai avoided overtly political content in his work, both as a dramatist and a cinematic auteur, and always said he tried not to deal in overt messages. But his work over many decades sets archetypal characters in opposition with oppressive religious and political systems. A Cultural Foundation Hailing from a lineage of renowned poets, Beyzai was steeped in the richest heritage of Persian culture from birth. He first rose to prominence as a playwright, inspired by Persian legend and ritual. A devotee of cinema, he moved into filmmaking in the 1970s. He won renown as one of the key figures in the new wave of Persian film. Navigating Censorship His most productive period spanned the time of the Shah and then the revolutionary government that overthrew him—with each regime ever ready to sniff out hidden messages that could be interpreted as criticism. "Beyzai never opted for the easy way. He endured years of exclusion, imposed silence, and distance, but he did not give up his language and his beliefs," stated Jaafar Panahi in his tribute. A Masterpiece Amidst Conflict A few years after the 1979 Revolution, he produced what many consider his masterpiece, Bashu, the Little Stranger, about a young child who tries to take refuge from the Iran-Iraq war. It was censored in Iran—as were other films he made in that period—but later chosen by critics as the best Iranian film of all time. The film was screened in a newly remastered print at this year's Venice Biennale, winning an award for outstanding feature in the classics section. Final Years in Exile Beyzai finally left Iran in 2010 and spent his later years in the US, where he taught Persian studies. Although he left his homeland, his wife, the actress Shamsai, said just hearing the word "Iran" would still bring tears to his eyes—and he remained ever hopeful for a new culture and tomorrow for his native land.