🔗 Share this article Iranian Cinema Giant, Beyzai, Dies At the Age of 87 Beyzai pictured alongside his spouse, the actress Mozhdeh Shamsai Profound tributes are pouring in for the legendary Bahram Beyzai, a giant of Persian film and stage, who has died aged 87 in the US. Homeland in Mourning The headlines of Iranian newspapers lament his loss, with opposition voices and those who look back fondly on the Shah era also paying homage to Beyzai. "His passing is a great loss for the cultural heritage of our country," remarked Prince Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of the last Shah of Iran. Although Beyzai's later films were prohibited in the 1980s by the Islamic regime, a number of prominent officials in the present administration have also paid tribute his contribution to Persian arts. The Teacher of a Generation Several of the contemporary generation of Iranian filmmakers have expressed their gratitude to him. Award-winning director Jaafar Panahi said that Beyzai showed them "the way to resist oblivion." Beyzai steered clear of overtly political content in his work, both as a playwright and a cinematic auteur, and always said he tried not to deal in overt messages. But his oeuvre over countless years sets historical, even mythic figures in conflict with authoritarian religious and political systems. A Cultural Foundation Hailing from a lineage of celebrated poets, Beyzai was imbued in the deepest traditions of Persian culture from birth. He first found fame 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 Iranian cinema. An Enduring Voice His most productive period straddled the time of the Shah and then the revolutionary government that deposed him—with both systems constantly poised to detect hidden messages that could be interpreted as criticism. "Beyzai never opted for the easy way. He endured years of marginalization, imposed silence, and exile, but he never abandoned his language and his beliefs," stated Jaafar Panahi in his tribute. The Little Stranger A few years after the Iranian 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 censored in Iran—as were other films he made in that time—but later voted by film critics as the greatest 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 lectured on Iranian culture. Even after he left his homeland, his wife, the actress Shamsai, said just the sound of the word "Iran" would still bring tears to his eyes—and he remained ever hopeful for a renewed spirit and future for his native land.